The Opposite of Imperfection
by MelStitch
Summary: Maka is your classic nerdy, good girl. Soul is your classic mysterious loner. Throw in a party, a motorcycle and runaways and what do you get?
1. Last Days

The first time I met Soul was an accident. He moved here during my freshman year. You know how it goes. The rumor that there's a new kid begins to circulate around the school as the hottest gossip. The guys want to know if he's good at any sports, so he can join a team and help lead the Meisters to victory. The girls want to know if he's cute, or rich, or single, already preparing to flaunt themselves in the most ridiculous ways. I didn't have time to worry about the new guy. I was too busy with my studies to fawn over someone I didn't even know.

The bell rang and I ran down the corridors, zig-zagging between students who decided that it was a good idea to stand in the middle of the hallway and tell their life story to whoever would listen. My next class was on the fourth floor while my last had been on the first. Now that I had to stop at the office on the second to deliver an envelope that had been given to me by my last teacher, my time to reach the top floor had been crunched in half. "Watch it?" someone yelled as I elbowed them turning a corner. I would've apologized if I hadn't almost run into another three people. I reached the office in less time than I had anticipated.

'Oh, good,' I thought. 'Maybe I should try out for track.' I reached for the doorknob, only to have it turn before I touched it. The door opened revealing the strangest boy I had ever seen. Hair as white as the clouds but with a face around my age. His skin was a light almost pale color. His eyes were an unnerving red, as if someone had replaced his irises with rubies.

"Umm, excuse me?" he said.

I blinked a few times when I realized I had been staring.

"Oh, uh," I stammered.

I moved to the right at the same time he did. Then we moved to the left in sync. He rolled his eyes and said,

"Pick a side."

His tone did not sound at all amused, if anything he was just annoyed. I moved back to the right and he brushed past me.

"Finally," he muttered as his backpack scratched against my shoulder.

I watched him walk down the hall. I was fitting in perfectly with the rest of the student body. Everyone was looking at him as if he were an entirely different species. He might as well have been with those exotic looks of his. He must be the new guy everyone had been preparing themselves for. He had to be, it would be impossible to forget someone like him. I promised myself I would be allowed to learn about him later at lunch with my friends when I wasn't on a strict time limit. At least one of my friends I knew would know something about him. I turned back to the office and promptly ran into the door before realizing that he had closed the door behind him. I grimaced. Maybe I didn't want to learn anything about him after all.

At lunch Tsubaki, Patty, and Liz listened to my retelling of my brief encounter with the school's newest pupil.

"I hope he can make friends here. You made him sound like an enigma," Tsubaki said.

This was one of the reasons that Tsubaki was my best friend. She didn't know him, but already she was wishing the new guy well. She had this sort of 'older sister' complex.

"His name's Soul Evans. I heard he was hanging with Kid, you know, that one loner guy with the OCD," Liz said opening a pudding cup.

Liz was the guru on gossip. It's hard to tell her anything about anyone that she doesn't already know. I don't know how she does is.

"Yah? That's so cool, he's so lucky," Patty exclaimed putting her head in her hands and staring whimsically at nothing. "I think that Kid is so awesome."

"Umm, ew. Why?" Liz questioned.

"Because he's so different. I mean, have you not seen what he's done with his hair? He's got these three, horizontal, white, stripes on one side of his hair. Isn't that weird considering he hates anything that's not perfectly symmetrical?"

"Uh, I guess," Liz said losing interest in her sister's description.

"He and the new guy make a good team. They're both so mysterious."

Patty was Liz's little sister only by a year, but she was much spunkier.

"What about you Maka?" Tsubaki asked me.

"Huh? About what?" I asked.

"About the new guy."

"Uh, nothing I guess. I mean he doesn't seem like someone I would ever talk to, so I don't really care about him," I said shrugging and reaching for my milk carton.

"Dude, that's cold," Liz said crushing her now empty pudding cup.

I shrugged again and said, "What? It's not like we're ever going to become friends or anything."

My predictions rang true. I never spoke to Soul again. He had remained an enigma to me, one that I never planned to understand. The years went by and people got over Soul. Everyone knew that Soul was incredible in his gym classes but refused to join any sports teams, no matter how many coaches begged him to try out. Everyone knew that Soul was a chick magnet but never went out with anyone, no matter how many girls, and guys, asked him out. Everyone knew he was a nice enough guy if you talked to him but he didn't have any friends besides Kid, no matter how many people approached him.

He was a serious loner with an almost bad boy kind of aura and no one knew much about him. Needless to say, we never crossed paths. I had no classes with him, he never came to any games although I hardly did either, I forgot most of the time that he even existed. I had nothing to do with Soul, that is, until the last week of our senior year.

"Maka! Maka! Maka!" Patty ran up to me after school while I was at my locker and started excitedly bouncing like a rubber ball.

"What's up?" I asked grabbing my jacket and closing my locker door.

As I spun my combination Patty said all in one breath,

"There's going to be this huge graduation part at Blaire's place this weekend after the graduation and get this, Soul and Kid are going to be there which means we have to be there because this is literally so huge, I think I'll need Liz's help to find something to wear, what about you?"

"What about me?" I repeated.

"What are you going to wear to the party?"

"I'm not going," I said.

"Oh, yes you are," Liz said appearing beside me and throwing her arm around my shoulders. "You hardly ever do anything fun. Honestly, you're almost as bad as Soul."

This was not true. I did fun things. It's just that no one else thought they were fun. Getting an A on an exam is good, and getting deep into the plot of a new novel was always exciting.

"I've gone to games and stuff with you guys before."

"And end up leaving early because you're bored, or you're reading under the bleachers with a flashlight," Liz said arching her eyebrow at me.

"Besides, we all really want to go but it'd be lame if you weren't there. Right Tsubaki?!" she called down the hall at the approaching Tsubaki.

"Right what?"

"Right Maka has to come to Blaire's party?" Patty said.

Tsubaki gave me a questioning look.

"You're not going? But it's the last party of our high school lives. Don't you want a taste of that before we leave?"

Parties. Not exactly my preferred venue for fun. I couldn't use my 'I need to study' excuse anymore. I'd have to use a different tactic.

"Umm, I got to cook for my dad and stuff. You know how he can't do anything for himself," I tried.

"I call bullshit," Liz said flicking her hair over her shoulder."You're leaving for that big, fancy, nerd college in the fall. He's going to have to learn how to fend for himself out in the big, scary, world sooner or later."

Tsubaki placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on Maka. You're mom knew how to live life."

I automatically touched my heart shaped necklace that my mom had left me. My mom had been the type of mom that went by that ridiculous YOLO motto, yet somehow had that craveable balance between business and pleasure. I had wanted to be like her, to find that stable middle ground. It's obvious I never did.

I reached up and undid the clasp then brought it around in front of me. The plain silver heart dangled in front of us four. My mom had been amazing, so why my dad cheated on her I'll never know. Why my mom left me with him, I'll never know either.

"Hey, necklace. Explode if I should go to the party. Stay the same if I shouldn't," I said in a mocking tone.

The necklace stayed in its original form.

"Well, you have the verdict ladies. Guess I won't be going," I said putting the necklace back on and clasping it.

All three of them stared at me with a face that said, 'seriously?'. I had pulled this trick on them before.

"Whatever, I know you'll change your mind," Liz said with finality. "Come on Patty. We got to get home."

"Ok," Patty said following Liz down the hall, around a corner and out of sight.

I leaned against the lockers.

"Tsubaki, are you really wanting to go to that thing?"

She clasped her hands in front of her and nodded with a smile.

"I've never really been to a big party before. And wouldn't it be fun? To have a last days of high school celebration with our entire year. I want to be able to tell my kids stories someday. That I got wild at a party. That I puked in someone's lawn. That I snuck out to meet a guy I really liked," Tsubaki said going on and on about all these ridiculous things she wanted to do but I knew she never would.

Her next statement caught my attention.

"I want to be looked at by somebody and not have them think, 'there's the quiet, boring girl'."

"Tsubaki, you're not boring," I said soothingly.

"But I am, and this is the last chance I have to prove to people that I don't have to be. That the last thing they remember of me was something exciting."

She looked at me with a small hopeful smile.

"And that's why I want you to go. So, I'm not alone."

Guilt washed over me as heavily as if I were standing under a waterfall.

"I'll think about it," I said finally.

"Really? You will?" she said excitedly.

"Uh, yeah. That's not a yes," I added quickly. "It's a maybe."

"Oh my gosh! I'm so excited. I'm so ready to take on the whole world right now!"

For the first time I was witnessing Tsubaki psyched and getting a little rowdy in the halls. I had to admit, she looked really happy.

"Well, that's not 'til this weekend and if I don't get home soon my dad will ground me and I won't be able to go even if I decided to. Graduated or not," I said tugging her towards the main entrance.

Tsubaki gave me a ride home almost every day. I would drive to school myself if my dad let me take the car. It doesn't even make sense. He works from home over his computer, so shouldn't I be allowed to use the car for school? Tsubaki's car is the type that blends in. A small, black, compact car. The distinguishing thing about it are all stars. The matching seat and steering wheel covers with silver stars on it and the black star air freshener that was supposed to make the car smell like space but really just made it smell like mint. For some reason she's always loved stars.

I got in the passenger seat and closed the door. While Tsubaki looked through her CD collection for a track for our ride home I thought about the party. I felt like a selfish friend. Just one party was all she wanted. I reached for my necklace again thinking that maybe some sort of wisdom from my mom would pass through it into me. I touched my throat. My eyes widened as my fingers stayed splayed across my skin. I felt around already beginning to feel the first warning signs of a heart attack. My necklace was gone.

"Umm, Tsubaki?" I said trying not to let panic creep into my voice.

"Yah?" she said finally selecting an album and sliding it in the player.

"Umm, I left something in my locker," I said unlocking the door and stepping out. "I'll be right back," I promised as I shut the door behind me not giving her a chance to respond.

If I had told her that I had lost my necklace she would pull out a metal detector and comb over every inch of the school, and I really didn't want to make a scene. I dashed towards the doors of the school and threw them open. Now that a small portion of the student body had gone home for the day it wasn't as difficult to run around the people milling about. 'Ok, where could it be? You took it off by your locker, so it stands to reason that it would still be there. As long as no one's picked it up,' I thought to myself.

I turned another corner and skidded to a stop in front of my locker. I immediately fell to all fours and began touching the floor looking for all the world like someone trying to find their lost contact lens half-blind. I might as well have been with my eyes tearing up and blurring my vision so badly I felt like I was in a house of mirrors. Oh, god. I seriously couldn't lose that necklace. It was all I had from my mom.

"Hey."

I froze. I saw a pair of black and yellow shoes in front of me. I slowly looked up meeting a face haloed by white hair. Two blood red eyes stared at me as Soul sat crouched in front of me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Umm, I uhh," I wiped my eyes quickly probably smearing my make up in the process. "I'm just looking for…"

"This?" he interjected.

He pulled something out of his jacket pocket and dangled it in front of my eyes. It was my necklace and it was still perfectly intact.

"Oh, my gosh! Thank you!" I exclaimed reaching for it.

I was so relieved I felt as light as a feather. You probably could've blown me over with a whisper. Just as my fingertips reached it he pulled it away.

"Oh, hold on. You don't get this back yet,' he said smiling slyly.

"What? Why not? It's mine," I asked extremely puzzled.

"Look Maka. I think we can help each other out," he said twirling my necklace around his finger.

For a moment I was shocked that he knew my name. Then I chastised myself. Well, I knew his, he might as well know mine. Still, I was wary.

"How?"

"Look, you need your necklace and I have that, correct?"

I nodded.

"And I need a date to the party this weekend." He looked up at me through his bangs still smiling. "That's where you come in."

I blinked.

"What?"

Soul rolled his vibrant eyes.

"Really Maka. I thought you were smarter than this. Be my date for the party and I'll give you your necklace back."

He reached for one of my pigtails, twirling the blonde strands between his fingers. I blushed but said,

"No way. Just give me what's mine."

"Oh, so that's a no? Oh, well."

And with that he put my necklace back in his pocket, stood up, and started walking away. I scrambled up and caught up to him.

"Soul, wait! Give me my necklace!"

"But, you're not going to be my date so why should I?" he asked not looking at me.

He picked up his pace; I had to jog to keep up.

"Because it doesn't belong to you," I said exasperated.

"True," Soul said pausing so suddenly that I ran into his back. "So, be my date then."

"I said no!"

I felt like I was seconds from blowing smoke out of my ears like a cartoon character. That little outburst had caused everyone in the hall to begin watching us. Soul and unnecessary interaction? Unheard of, and involving a girl no less. So much for not causing a scene. He turned around and faced me.

"Maka, be my date to the party. You do or you don't get your precious necklace back."

Was he seriously threatening me? He turned and continued walking. I knew nothing about him. I had no idea if he was serious. But I couldn't afford it if he was and not take his offer.

"Soul!" I called out to him grimacing.

He stopped but didn't turn around. I took a few more steps and stepped around him so that we were face to face. Or in this case, face to chest.

"I'll be your date. But, you have to swear that I'll get my necklace back."

"Have I ever lied to you?" he asked tilting his head to the side.

"Mostly because you've never talked to me," I muttered under my breath.

However, Soul still heard it and smirked. He leaned in close, a mischievous spark dancing in his eyes.

"See you there."

He stepped around me and left. Everyone that had been watching, now began whispering to each other and texting at a furious pace. Oh, no. What had I gotten myself into?


	2. Shark Teeth

"Hey dad I'm home!"

I called into the house. I passed my dad's office.

"Hey Maka! How was school?" He asked through the closed door.

I heard the faintest giggle and after that a shushing sound. I rolled my eyes. I couldn't wait to move out so I wouldn't have to come home to my dad and his playmates. I made my way upstairs. My room was always tidy. I hated to have a mess. Tsubaki's was the same. The one time I visited Liz and Patty I had to swim across their room what with all the junk piled high in it. I placed my school bag by the end of my bed and threw myself onto the mattress. I looked at my adjoining wall to my right. It was filled with taped up pictures and other memorabilia. There was one photo that particularly caught my eye.

It was of me and Tsubaki. I had a large smile and was flashing a peace sign, while Tsubaki smiled a shy smile, naturally curling into the farthest corner. She's always been camera shy, and shy in other areas too. I should've willingly agreed to go to the party for Tsubaki's sake. It shouldn't have taken something as drastic as Soul robbing me for that. I might as well tell her now. I sat up and started digging through my bag for my phone. Just as I picked it up it started vibrating. I swiped left and answered it.

"Hey Tsubaki, I was just about to call you."

"Yah? Well, I wanted to tell you that Liz, and Patty and I are going shopping for the party the day before graduation after practice. That is, if you want to come. I mean even if you aren't going it'd still be fun."

"But, that's just what I was going to talk to you about," I said.

"About shopping?" she asked.

"No." I took a breath then said quickly, "I'm going with you guys to the party."

For a moment it was silent on the other line, then suddenly Tsubaki squeeled. I had never heard such a sound from her before.

"Oh my gosh Maka for real?! That is so awesome! I have to call Liz back and let her know. Trust me, we're going to have fun!"

As she went on about her big plans for the party and the shopping she wanted to do with us I thought about telling her about Soul. I had been going to tell her in the car but hadn't. She had known something was up.

"Maka, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why?" I answered a little too quickly.

"Well, you seem a little jumpy for one. You sure you're ok?"

"Yah I'm good," I responded avoiding her eyes.

She turned on the stereo with her indie album playing and exited the parking lot.

"Oh, by the way did you find what you were looking for?" she asked.

"Uh, yah."

"Good."

Find it? Yes. Get it? No.

"Maka?"

I blinked and focused on my current phone call.

"Sorry. Zoned out. What'd you say?"

Tsubaki sighed then said,

"Patty, and Liz wanted to carpool with us for graduation practice on Friday. Are you coming too or is your dad bringing you?"

"Oh, um, yah I'll come. I'd be surprised if my dad even came to my graduation," I said pouting into the phone.

"Don't worry Maka," Tsubaki assured. "He'll come. He's not perfect but he loves you."

"Yah, I suppose you're right."

"Anyway, I have to tell Liz and Patty about you coming. This is so exciting. I know you won't regret it."

"I hope so," I muttered into the phone.

After we hung up I wondered again about why I didn't tell my best friend about Soul. Probably because it is the most embarrassing situation ever. Soul was nothing important. He meant nothing to me. Yet, suddenly I was depending on him to take care of my most precious possession, albeit unwillingly. And not only that, but he had twisted the situation so that he came out on top. Maybe it was because of my being mad at him that I didn't want his name passing between my lips to my friends. Not that they wouldn't find out eventually. I'd just rather it not be before they needed to. I'm just going to prepare for my graduation and go shopping with my friends like a normal person not being threatened. In the meantime, I have to go downstairs and see if Spirit Albarn's friend planned on staying for dinner.

"Guess what I heard the other day?" Liz said as she put her gown on its hanger.

Rehearsal had lasted over two hours. Professor Stein, one of my dads old friends, was in charge this year. With a small auditorium such as ours I had assumed that there would be only one or two ways to arrange our entrances and exits. That way we'd be able to finish in little more than an hour. But I should have known that Stein would make it as complicated as possible. He made over 20 arrangements, and we spent our time perfecting each one, only for him to choose his first original layout. Now everyone was putting their robes on their hangers in their respective classrooms, very annoyed at Stein for wasting their time.

"What'd you hear?" I asked placing my hanger on the rack.

Liz did the same then said, "Through my endless and vast amount of resources I found out that Soul and Kid are coming to the party tomorrow night."

"Yah, I heard that too," I said hoping she'd forget about Soul.

"But, what you didn't hear was that Soul has a date to that party."

Liz started walking out of the classroom, but I was frozen in place. Had the news traveled so far that it was in the gossip grapevine? What did Liz think about me now that I was Soul's date? I followed her out determined to know exactly what the rumors were saying.

"Shocking right?" Liz said when I caught up to her. "I mean it's the end of the year, we're leaving high school, and drama is still going on. Only Soul could pull something like this. It's crazy."

"Uh, yah. Crazy," I said awkwardly.

"I mean I'm sort of jealous."

My eyes widened.

"Jealous?"

"Yah. The most mysterious boy in school finally asked out someone at the last possible second. Who wouldn't want to be that person?"

For a moment I was almost intrigued, but then remembered how I had come to be in this predicament. I was just about to make a comment about how unlucky that person was but Liz wasn't done.

"I just wish I knew who his date was."

I stopped short.

"You don't know who it is?" I asked shocked.

"No. But I'll tell you everything I do know on our way to meet Patty and Tsubaki in the parking lot."

We exited the west wing where our auditorium was located then headed for the east exit.

"So, I do know that his date's a girl. So, the question of his sexuality is answered. She's blonde I think, although some said she was a really light brunette. I imagined your hair color when they said that."

I swallowed.

"So, anything else?" I asked crossing my fingers.

"Oh, yes!" She said excitedly slapping my arm. "Word has it that he asked her and she turned him down twice! Twice! Before she said ok. Like, who in their right mind would ever say no to him?"

I treaded lightly.

"What if he was acting like a jerk when he asked her?"

"Well, yah. I guess that's true. But, still, why not leave this shitty place with a bang? It doesn't hurt that he's super cute either."

"Hey you guys. Are your feet as sore as mine?" Patty asked as she and Tsubaki came out of another classroom and started walking beside us. Patty had wanted to practice walking with the pumps she planned to wear so she wouldn't fall on the big day.

"Nobody told you to wear 4-inch heels," Liz chastised.

"But, I have to practice. If I'm not prepared I'll fall down all ten steps and kill myself and that'd be super embarrassing," Patty argued.

For the moment Soul and his mysterious date were forgotten. I was nervous. It was only a matter of time before everyone knew the identity of the mysterious girl that Soul had had to ask out three times before she conceded. 'Ok, calm down,' I told myself. Tomorrow was graduation, and the day after was the party. After the party, it wouldn't matter what anyone thought about me or Soul. I'd be out of here preparing for college in the fall.

The girls and I made it to Liz's car. Liz was the exact opposite of Tsubaki. Loud, confident, excited, talkative. Her car followed suite. A red convertible was what we piled into. As Liz stuck the key in the ignition, Patty turned on a pop station on the radio and turned the volume way up. An auto-tuned voice streamed through the speakers and out into the wind as Liz put the top down. She pulled out of the lot and said,

"Hey, guys, guess what I heard? I already told Maka about it but you guys don't know."

Liz then brought Patty and Tsubaki up to speed on Soul's dating life.

"Wow," Patty said letting her arm ride the air in waves outside her window, "that girl must be some other kind of crazy."

"For accepting?" I asked.

"For declining," she said.

"Right?!" Liz exclaimed slapping the wheel for emphasis.

"Well, I think she has to be gorgeous," Tsubaki said wistfully.

"Ooh, I thought the same thing," Liz said catching Tsubaki's eye in the rearview mirror.

"Why does she have to be gorgeous?" I asked.

Wouldn't they be surprised when they found out that Soul's date was actually the potato in the back seat? Patty turned around in her seat to face me.

"Umm, hello? It's obvious that Soul is one hot and picky SOB. So, for him to pick this girl, out of the hundreds of others who were basically throwing themselves at him all year? He obviously had to see something in her that he didn't see in anyone else and that's pretty exciting."

"Exactly," Liz agreed. "Which is why I have to find the best outfit tomorrow. I don't want to be some ugly little frump."

"Oh, please," Patty hugged. "You guys could never look frumpy. You and Tsubaki are as tall as models and have that gorgeous, long, hair. And Maka has amazing legs and those beautiful green eyeballs of hers. I'm short and with a messy haircut. If anyone's going to look frumpy, it's going to be me."

"Whatever," Liz said.

The rest of the ride home was spent deciding what outfits would complement which body parts on whose person. By the time I arrived home, they planned on dressing me in something that would probably leave very little to the imagination much to my horror.

"Hurry dude!" Patty yelled as I ran up the steps to my house.

"Dad, I'm home!" I called into the house.

"Hey pumpkin! Daddy's in his office."

That was a good sign. I knocked on the heavy maple wood door.

"Come in," he called.

I pushed the door open. My dad was sitting at his computer screen facing away from me. I looked to the left and saw his couch. I looked to the right and saw his usual clutter of books, papers, and pizza box on the floor next to a dying house plant. No woman in sight. This pleased me. He spun his chair around to face me, his red hair swishing past his chin.

"Well, if it isn't my little high school graduate. How was practice Maka?"

"It was ok. Stein kept moving us around for no real reason, but other than that it went well," I said.

"Yah, he's always been an indecisive pain in the ass," he chuckled swiveling back around to face his computer.

"Oh, and I'm going shopping with my friends because I'm going to a party tomorrow after graduation," I said in a hurry.

It's a known fact that when a teen says something fast to their parents it's because they don't want them to hear the details. So, the parent automatically dissects everything that kid just said and looks for any sign of trouble. I kind of hoped my dad would do the same thing.

"Oh, yah? Have fun."

My shoulders drooped. Well maybe it was just for the shopping.

"To what?"

"To your shopping and after-party."

"Oh," I said defeated.

"I mean, it's the least I could do. I might not make it to your graduation tomorrow."

I narrowed my eyes at his back.

"Why not?" I asked even though I knew full well why.

It was always the same reason why he was always behind on everything that had any importance to me.

"I'm already a week late in this file. If I don't get it done soon I'll be fired. You don't want daddy alone and jobless do you?"

He pulled the pity card.

"No. I understand dad. It's ok," I said turning away and leaving, closing the door behind me.

If he hadn't had any time left, he wouldn't have had the girl over the other day. But when it came to me or his own hormonal desires, he won every day of the week. For a moment I stood in the hall, not moving. I wanted to feel tears forming. I wanted to feel a pain in my heart. I wanted to feel something that proved to me I wasn't as bulletproof as I thought I was. But I couldn't. I was used to my dad breaking my heart. I haven't cried in a long time. I pulled out my phone out and called Tsubaki.

"I'll be out in a second."

"Ok," she said.

I ran up to my room and changed my shoes from ballet flats to comfortable Chuck Taylors. I walked out of the house towards my friends, determined to forget about my dad.

"Hey Maka. Where's your necklace?"

"What?" I said looking up from the vest I was holding.

Tsubaki repeated her question.

"Oh, uh," I stammered.

"Yah, where is it?" Patty asked coming out of her dressing room.

She was wearing a short, loose, pink skirt, with a matching tank top that had pink roses with green stems intertwining with each other.

"Hmm, it's missing something," Liz noted.

She took the vest from my hands and threw it at Patty. She put it on and posed in front of us. The faux leather brown vest complemented the colors of her outfit.

"That's it! Now you're not so pink," Liz said watching her sister twirl in front of the mirror.

"Yah, and I have brown boots to go with it. I'm so buying all of this!" Patty squealed.

She turned towards us again.

"But seriously, where's your necklace Maka?"

The sudden change in subject caught me off guard. Liz now noticed and said,

"Don't you, like, never take it off?"

"Umm, someone has it," I offered.

I walked out of the fitting room hoping that they would just forget about it.

"Woah, woah, woah maka. Hold up. Someone has it? But you never let that thing out of your sight," Tsubaki said following me out.

"I know. That's why I'm going to the party. I'll get it back there."

"What?!"

Immediately I knew I had said too much.

"I get it. I totally get it!" Liz said with a smug smile.

"I'm so lost," Tsubaki said bewildered, "How'd you get anything out of that?"

"Simple," Liz said crossing her arms, "Someone asked Maka out."

I stopped breathing. Had Liz really figured it all out?

"But," she continued, "Since Maka is known for not actually attending social functions, he used her necklace as insurance that she would show up."

"Damn Maka!" Patty yelled from the fitting rooms.

Liz and Tsubaki were waiting for my response. They weren't that far off in their guess. Someone had asked me and used my necklace as a hostage. I decided I might as well go with it.

"Yah, you got me," I said with a smile.

"So, who is it?" Liz said excitedly.

"Yah, why'd you keep it a secret?" Tsubaki asked with a faint glimmer of hurt in her eyes.

I felt bad. I've never kept anything from Tsubaki, especially something as big as this. But, this would blow over eventually and it was only until tomorrow night.

"No, no, no," Patty said running out of the room with her clothes thrown over her arms. "Don't ruin the surprise. We just need to find you date worthy clothes ok?"

She looked around for approval. She got mine right away.

"Yah, ok," Liz agreed.

Tsubaki in the spirit of good sportsmanship agreed as well but, that smile wasn't going to fool me. I knew I'd have to explain myself to her sooner or later.

"One. Two. Three!"

We all threw our caps into the air in unison, screaming with joy. High school was officially over. I had made valedictorian. As I gave my speech about living the rest of our lives with no regrets, I focused all my might on avoiding any eye contact with Soul. I had succeeded but only barely. In a sea of mostly brunettes and blonds it was hard not to focus on the one who had hair as white as December snow. A photographer walked up to me and asked if I would pose for a picture with my parents or guardians. I said very simply,

"They're not here but my friends are basically my family. Can I take a photo with them?"

He was immediately embarrassed and agreed. When he left, my friends hugged me.

"I'm sorry that your dad's an asshole," Liz said.

"Nah, I'm used to his douchebagery," I said trying to brush it off.

"Just think. You'll be having a blast with us and your date later tonight," Patty offered.

She was taller than me now. She had made it across the stage without twisting her ankles in her shoes like she feared.

"Yah, you've got us," Tsubaki agreed.

"Yah, I know. Thanks you guys."

I looked up past them and saw Soul watching me. He smiled when he saw that he had my attention. I hadn't known that there was such a thing as a killer smile. I thought it was just a description that was used in all those books I read. But, Soul has a smile which could only be described as killer, because I was ready to die in spite of myself. His teeth were sharpened to fine points; shark teeth. Yet, I did not fear him in that moment. I noticed suddenly the silver chain around the back of his neck, disappearing into his robe. He was wearing my necklace! My friends noticed that I was staring at something and followed my gaze.

"Holy shit!" Is Soul staring at you Maka?" Liz whispered excitedly.

"Doubt it," I said in monotone.

Soul looked away then and walked towards some guy with ridiculously blue hair.

"That was weird," Patty noted.

"Yah," I said still in monotone.

"Ooh, look Patty! There's Blaire! Let's go say hi," Liz suggested and pulled her sister along away from us.

Tsubaki turned to face me.

"Soul's your date isn't he?"

She was dead serious. She knew, there was absolutely no doubt about it.

"Yah," I said softly. "How'd you know?"

"I've been friends with you forever. I recognized that chain he had on just now."

She crossed her arms. She wanted an explanation and she deserved one.

"Ok, here's what happened," I said. I then launched into my story.


	3. Smoky Breath

"Come on out! Don't be shy," Liz said outside my bedroom.

"No way! I feel way too exposed. Are you sure I can't just wear jeans and a hoodie?" I asked.

"No way in hell!" Patty said loudly. "This is our last high school party. And I know your fancy schmancy college won't have anything like this."

"But," I started still staring at myself in my full-length mirror.

"Just think about how hot you'll look for your date," Tsubaki inputted.

I shuddered. When I told Tsubaki how Soul had forced me to become his date, she hadn't been all that shocked. Instead, she had said,

"It's a good thing you're going to look hot. You might need to seduce him."

Tsubaki was not normally the type to use her body to her advantage, though she most certainly could. Hearing her suggest that I should shocked me.

"Damn it Maka! If you don't move it we're going to miss the entire party!" Liz said exasperated.

She started banging on the door. I sighed turning away from my reflection and unlocked my door. The door swung open and my friends stared at me, eyes wide and mouths agape.

"I knew it. I look terrible. That's it, I'm changing."

I turned to go back in my room but Patty grabbed my shoulder stopping me.

"No, Maka. We're just so shocked. You look really good."

"Yah," Liz agreed. "If you dressed like this more often your date just might become your boyfriend."

I bit my bottom lip. That was not at all the goal I had in mind. I looked down at myself and felt completely out of character. I had a red tank top with large, silver, stars inspired by Tsubaki. It was long enough to where you could only see the bottom of my pockets and cuffs of my denim shorts that crested the tops of my thighs. Way too much of my skin was exposed for my taste. The only thing I liked about this ensemble were the shoes. Plain, gray, canvas flats. Very simple, very comfortable; just my style.

"I mean damn girl. Your legs look a mile long," Liz said giving me another once over.

I didn't have to say anything about Liz's outfit. It was obvious she looked good. Black skinny jeans played up her long frame while she had a silk, royal blue, top with loose mid-length sleeves to contrast with her tight pants. There was chunky silver jewelry all over her. Her bold outfit was the opposite of her sister's gentle brown and pink getup. I just knew that they both looked better than I did.

"Let's just hurry and go before I decide to grab a sweatsuit," I grumbled wrapping my arms around myself.

My threat seemed to work and we all rushed out of the hallway and down the stairs. As I passed my dad's office I paused for a millisecond. I wanted to tell him goodbye, even though he wouldn't really care. He'd be too busy with his work, or a woman; whichever was more demanding of his attention. I decided against it and followed my friends out to Tsubaki's car, slamming the door loud enough to let my dad know I left.

On the way to Blaire's place Liz took it upon herself to give me as much back seat dating advice as she could fit in the 18-minute drive.

"Don't drink anything he gives you. He probably slipped something in it," and "he can be affectionate but if he starts getting too touchy feely then don't be afraid to yell 'rape'. We'll come save you," seemed to be the main lines she gave me.

Tsubaki seemed to catch onto this as well.

"Really Liz. Her date could be the nicest guy on the planet. Isn't there any other advice you could give her besides how to dial 911 with her wrists tied?"

Liz thought for a moment then leaned forward over the armrest and said,

"Stay calm. Smile. Be yourself. All very cliché but you can use them."

"Oh, by the way," Patty added squishing past Liz, leaning over my shoulder, "look him in the eyes. It really unnerves people."

"Great," I said rolling my eyes. "I can either pepper spray him or freak him out."

I knew I really didn't intend on doing either. I just wanted to find Soul, get my necklace back and try to survive the rest of the night.

"Are you really not going to tell us who your date is?" Patty whined.

"Don't worry, she can't hide him from us all night," Liz said smugly applying another layer of lipgloss.

That was a fact I knew all too well. It would only be a matter of time before they learned about Soul. It wouldn't be too big of a deal if he wasn't so…so…you know? Tsubaki only smiled from the driver's seat.

"Ooh, we're here, we're here!" Liz cheered checking out her reflection in the rearview mirror.

The street was full so we had to park at the end of the next street.

"Oh my gosh you guys this is so exciting! Let's go!" Liz said getting out of the car and taking off down the street.

"I wonder if she's got snacks." Patty thought aloud then followed her sister.

Tsubaki and I sat still in the car for another moment more.

"You nervous?" she asked me.

"Why would I be nervous?" I answered.

"Well, it's your first date. I'd be scared if I were you. I'm nervous enough by myself."

I opened my door.

"Soul does not count as my first date. And there's nothing for you to be nervous about. It's just people. Maybe you'll meet someone here too."

She smiled and smoothed out her cream sundress, her gold bangle bracelets jingling with the movement.

"You're right. Let's go get me those stories," she said getting out of the car.

We followed Liz and Patty's path down the road. Blaire lived very well off. The house had at least three floors from my outside perspective and a wraparound porch. All the lights were on inside, but most of the noise; the voices, the music, the splashing?, was coming from the back of the house.

We had just reached the back when suddenly Tsubaki was hugged from behind.

"What?! Who?!" she panicked.

I turned ready to punch something in the face. It was the weird blue-haired guy I had seen Soul talking to earlier.

"What are you doing?" I asked him.

"Uh, hugging a pretty girl, what does it look like I'm doing?" he answered back twirling Tsubaki's black ponytail in the same manner Soul had done to me.

Tsubaki's face flamed at the sudden attention.

"I like you," blue-hair said to her. "You want a drink or something?"

I assumed Tsubaki would shy away from someone as forward as this guy, who seemed to be a little intoxicated. Instead she shocked me by saying, "Ok."

My jaw dropped down to what felt like my toes as I stared at their retreating forms. She turned to look at me over her shoulder and gave me a thumbs up before disappearing through the back door. I shut my mouth and put a hand to my head. Right, I had forgotten about the 'stories' she wanted to be able to tell. But what did ignoring Liz's first main rule have to do with that? I looked around the backyard.

There were tons of former students dancing, and talking, and swimming in the large pool. Lights hung across the huge yard in lantern shapes swinging from tree to tree like monkeys. In the large crowd, I couldn't see Liz or Patty and Tsubaki was in the house with a stranger ingesting who knows what.

I must have wandered around the yard and the house for what seemed like at least an hour. I wondered when Soul would show up, and how long I'd be expected to stay when he did. It was a weird feeling. Being alone in a room full of people. Like I was a phantom in a world of living beings. I didn't like it.

I went back outside and stood awkwardly on the porch. Blaire came out of the house wearing a purple bikini the same shade as her long, colored hair with black cats all over it. She's always had a thing for cats according to Liz. She saw me and smiled and ran over to hug me. She squished me to her really hard, almost suffocating me with her large chest.

"OH MY GAWD! Maka! You look _super _cute. I didn't think you'd actually come," she squealed grinning from ear to ear.

"Well ta-dah. I'm here," I said weakly trying to at least not frown horribly at her.

"I just knew this party would have a huge turnout what with Soul and Kid here."

My ears pricked up at the name.

"They're here already?" I asked her.

"Oh yah, one of the earliest to show up."

Leave it to Soul to force me to come here and effectively hide from me for a solid hour.

"Oh really?" I asked.

"You mean you haven't seen them? Soul's had an entourage of girls all night," she said.

How had I not noticed something like that? Well, since I wasn't interested in anything here it makes sense to not notice a bunch of girls all following one person. If Soul was here I could find him and make him give me back my necklace, then be able to sit by the pool and eat chips in peace.

"I'm need to find them," I said trying not to sound to desperate, "do you know where they are Blaire?"

She put a perfectly manicure nail, also purple, on her chin and said, "Well, Kid is inside rearranging my pantry or something and Soul is over there."

I turned to where she was pointing. Up on the diving board above the pool stood Soul in red and black swim shorts. I thought I saw a flash of silver but he was too far away to be sure. A chant started up: "Soul! Soul! Soul! Soul!" He then turned around and did some ridiculously complicated backflip off the board and into the water punctuating it with a big splash. As he climbed out of the pool a large group of girls met him. They were all giggling and squealing as if he were some pretty-boy pop star they got to meet backstage. He took a towel from one of them and rubbed his hair with it. The girl practically fainted against her friends who were all still cheesing.

"Every girl is dying to know who his date is. Lots of them have tried hitting on him and stuff but they've all been turned down," Blaire said taking a sip from a plastic cup.

Soul threw on a gray t-shirt and slung the towel around his neck and started walking away from his fanclub.

"Well, he's not going to turn me down," I said.

Blaire's eyes grew wide and she started clapping and jumping up and down.

"Ooh, Maka, I've never seen this side of you. You'll need this if you're going to go win your man back from all those girls."

I didn't bother on correcting her statement of Soul's ownership. She handed me her cup. I looked inside it. It looked like water and didn't smell like anything. I took a big sip and immediately began choking. Whatever that was, it had not been solely water. It was a sharp burn all the way down my throat and I vowed to listen to Liz about drinks more often.

I walked around the edge of the pool, but so many people were moving about, my vision was swimming with people. The leftover burning was not helping me either.

"Out of the way!" someone yelled seconds before I was shoved into the pool. Well, that's what would've happened had someone not grabbed my hand at the last second. They pulled me back up, hard into their chest. I looked up and saw Soul looking at me with an eyebrow raised. Before I had enough time to even think of saying something Soul threw his arm around my shoulders and started leading me away. I turned and looked behind me and saw the group of girls staring after us. Some of them looked really pissed, some of them looked sort of sad, they all looked shocked to some degree.

"Uh, Soul?" I managed to choke out.

He ignored me and kept tugging me along. Finally, we made it out to the street. He took his arm away and stood directly in front of me, his face keeping the nonchalant expression that he's had since he entered the pool water. I didn't want to waste any more time than I already have.

"Ok, I'm here. I showed up like I said I would. Now give me my necklace back," I demanded.

He blinked his eyes slowly, then said, "But you're not doing what you said you would."

"What?"

There was no way he was serious.

"What do you mean? I said I would come and I did!"

He lifted his eyebrow at me again along with a corner of his mouth.

"No, you said you'd come as my date, and you haven't really been my date yet."

I let out a sigh. I could've been his date faster if he had just found me earlier. He would drag this out as long as possible so there was no point in voicing that thought. The entire world would know about my predicament if he had his way. There's no hiding it from Liz, Patty, or anyone anymore.

"Ok, what counts as 'being your date'?" I asked completely giving up.

He stepped closer and I leaned away a little but didn't step back.

"One hour."

"One hour?" I repeated.

He pulled the towel of his shoulders and wrapped it around my waist. I looked down at it in question and was caught by surprise when he tugged on the ends, effectively bringing my body almost flush with his. My hands were on his chest and I quickly took them away letting them hang awkwardly at my sides. My hands were not too pleased, they had felt hard muscle through that shirt and wanted nothing more than to touch it again. His eyes bore into mine and his half-grin widened into a smile, his serrated teeth reminding me of razors.

"Spend an hour with me and you'll get your precious locket back," he promised.

His breath was tickling my face and smelled faintly of cigarettes. My back hurt from leaning away so I straightened out, getting even closer to him, our noses almost touching, his hair still dripping water between us.

"Ok," I said my voice low.

"Good," he answered matching my intensity yet somehow still smiling.

He released me from his towel's grip and held his hand out. I looked at his outstretched hand for a moment.

"You're supposed to take it. That's what people do when they're on dates right?" Soul asked waiting.

"I wouldn't know," I grumbled silently.

I couldn't tell if Soul heard me or not, but I reached out and placed my hand in his, my fingers automatically intertwining with his. He led me back up the driveway, past everyone who had tried to watch us discreetly but had failed miserably. Blaire was the last one we walked past and as we did so she smiled and winked. Soul lay the towel over the railing of the porch and led me through the door inside the house.

"Hey," Soul said very close to my ear so he could be heard over the music without having to shout. "I need to find my friend. Wait for me?"

"No, I'll come with you," I responded.

I needed this hour over with as soon as possible, and that would never happen if we took starts and stops. Soul didn't see that however and smiled his toothy grin and said,

"Already attached huh?"

I rolled my eyes as he led me through the crowd. It wasn't too difficult because everyone moved out of the way for us, parting like the Red Sea. We left behind a trail of gossip as we moved to the living room.

"Where is he, that…,"Soul started but was interrupted by some guy throwing his arm around him.

"Soul, we're playing beer pong, you in?" he asked.

It was Justin. He was supposedly a catholic boy but partied harder than most atheists. At least according to Liz. I could smell the alcohol on his breath and knew that he most likely already played a couple rounds.

"I would but I gotta take my girl home later ya' know?" Soul said shrugging.

He waved Soul away and focused on me.

"Well, how about you?"

And with that he took my free hand and pulled me away from Soul and towards the dining room table. Soul tried to follow but was immediately intercepted by more girls. On the table were a bunch of red plastic cups and a few guys playing with a ping pong ball, bouncing it all across the table. Justin started telling me the rules but I wasn't paying attention. It was too sudden and I felt so uncomfortable. His words were too loud, and the music was too loud, and my thoughts were too loud. Nothing made sense. I didn't want to be here. Maybe my mother's necklace wasn't that important. She may have known how to live life, but she also knew when to draw the line and I was about to draw mine. The next thing I knew Justin was shoving one of the cups in my face. I was so confused. All I had needed to do was bounce a ball it seemed. It hadn't fallen off the table so what gives?

I peered into the cup, the contents were a dark amber color and didn't even fill it a quarter of the way, and it smelled like Justin's god awful breath. Everyone around me was starting to chant for me to drink it, much like they had for Soul to jump. I'm not a drinker. I'm not anything. I don't even curse if I can help it. I'm a goody-goody, a square, straight-edge, whatever. Justin got impatient with me.

"Maybe she needs a little help," and put the cup to my lips and tilted it.

My eyes squeezed shut. Really, how bad could it be? Everyone seemed to love the stuff, and it was only a little bit anyway. The first swallow burned on the way down much like Blaire's 'water' had earlier. How anyone could get addicted to this stuff was beyond me. I finished it and immediately regretted it. I felt as if I would hurl. I must have had a spoiled one because that had been nowhere near pleasant.

"Maka, you ok?"

I turned around and found Soul. I was about to answer when I felt woozy and leaned backwards a little bit.

"Dude, what'd you put in that?" Soul asked Justin.

"Under 40," he answered.

"What the hell man!" Soul said shoving Justin out of his way.

He held me against him, his hands on my shoulders keeping me steady.

"Ok, we're going outside," he said leading me from the table.

"Where you going Soul?" I heard a voice say.

"Out," he answered.

The door opened. I don't know which one, or how we got there. All I felt was night air sweeping through my fuddled brain. I wanted to sit but at the same time didn't want to be on the floor. I climbed up on the porch railing wrapping one of my arms around a post and leaning against it. I noticed that we were not in the front of the house, or the back, but somewhere on the side. That was all I noticed. I couldn't be bothered to think about anything else while my head had a mosh pit going on inside of it. I couldn't believe I had broken Liz's number one rule too.

"So, you're not a drinker I'm guessing," Soul asked breaking the silence.

"What did I take? Gasoline?" I asked closing my eyes willing my stomach to stop impersonating a washing machine.

"Under 40," he answered.

I cracked open one eye and saw that he had started smoking a cigarette that he had produced from somewhere.

"What's that?"

"It's pretty strong stuff. It hits your system in under forty seconds. Most people can handle the kick. Apparently you have the lowest tolerance ever."

"What else is there here?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's other stuff here. I had some water and I'm pretty sure it wasn't just water," I said remembering Blaire's drink.

Soul chuckled.

"Sounds like you had vodka."

"Ugh. Has it been an hour yet?"

Soul chuckled again.

"No. It's been about 20 minutes.

I sighed.

"Soul?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you so different?"

He looked at me. I continued.

"You act one way for 4 years, then suddenly you're different today."

I didn't understand why I was talking. I wondered briefly of this was what they called 'liquid courage.' Soul straightened out and stood next to me leaning against the railing.

"Sometimes your answer is going to have to be 'just cause'."

That didn't answer my question. 'Just cause' was never an answer.

"You can have your necklace back," Soul said startling me.

"But it hasn't been an hour yet," I said.

I didn't understand why I was arguing this point, the Under 40 still rushing in my blood.

"It's ok. Not all promises can be kept," Soul said turning, now directly eye to eye in front of me.

"Sure they can," I said quietly.

"Well, I'm breaking this one for you," he said dropping his cigarette on the floor and stepping on it.

He made eye contact with me again and grinned that mischievous grin he had worn when he had 'asked me out'. I was suddenly nervous.

"But don't worry. I'll still get something from you in return."

I held my hand out swallowing.

"So, can I have it?" I asked.

"Take it," He said.

We stared at each other for a moment and I knew what he wanted me to do. It was clear he wasn't going to take it off himself. I had already blown my dignity out of the water, what could it hurt? I reached my hand out and felt the top of his chest, my fingers tingling with familiarity. I felt the heart of my necklace under his shirt. So far, so good. I slowly slipped my fingers under the collar of his shirt. It suddenly wasn't so good anymore.

I had never touched a guy before in such close proximity and with such intimacy. I swallowed, eager for this to be over. I felt the chain and pulled it out of his shirt, hastily getting away from his warm skin. I needed two hands to undo the clasp in the back. My arms were around his neck and he was so close to me. Patty was right, this eye contact was completely unnerving me. Or was it more than that? I refused to think like that. This wasn't doing me any good. I focused again on what I was trying to do.

I spun the necklace so the clasp was in the front. I thought it'd make it easier. My hands were shaking so badly I couldn't even see what I was doing. I pulled it closer, and in turn pulled Soul closer. We were about 5 inches apart. It was different than earlier. This time it was me who pulled him close.

"Maka, did I tell you that you look really good?" Soul said almost in a whisper. "Red's always been my favorite color."

His fingers were now ghosting past my legs sending shivers through me. I didn't answer. I couldn't answer. Not with us like this. I had been trying so hard to make a coherent thought, but then Soul had spoken and his smoky breath had wrapped around me re-fogging my mind worse than the Under 40. I couldn't focus. Normally, cigarette smoke would make me disgusted. But, suddenly it was this aphrodisiac that I was ashamed to admit to being attracted to. I realized I had stopped trying to take the necklace off and was slowly pulling him closer to me. Our lips had scarcely touched but I felt an immediate heat rush.


	4. Mental Limbo

"Maka!"

That clear word resounded in my head instantly clearing away the clouds, refocusing my attention, and dragging me back to the present. I shoved Soul away, forgetting about my necklace, and looked to see where my name had come from. Liz stood in the doorway of the side door we must have come through. She stood still, staring at me and Soul, mouth agape. She opened and closed it a few times like a fish before saying,

"It's Tsubaki. I think we need to help her."

And with that she awkwardly stepped back inside. Tsubaki. The party. Soul. Oh my god! I looked back to him to find him leaning against the corner post and he was laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked still a little numb from the shock.

"You," He answered. "You're so easy to figure out."

"What?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows.

"You're one of those easy-to-read virgin types," he said leaning towards me. "I can give you just a little attention. Just say a few nice words at the right time. Touch you in just the right way."

He moved even closer and I leaned away from him for the second time.

"And you're putty in my hand."

I was mad. I just knew that the Under 40 in my blood had to have been burned away by my seething fury. Just who did he think he was?

"And you can't really blame me," He said moving away again. "Because you pulled me to you, not the other way around."

He was right. I knew he was right. But he was wrong somewhere wasn't he? There had to be some flaw in his logic? There always is, but I couldn't find it. Anger was still fueling me, so I hopped off the railing, eager to get as far from him as possible. However, I crumpled to the floor, still a little woozy from the concoctions I had ingested. I didn't care, I'd crawl if I had to.

"Need help?" he asked putting his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't you dare even try touching me right now!" I fumed slapping his hand away.

"That's not what you were saying a minute ago."

I let out this horrid sounding internal screaming noise, and I could guess that that only fueled Soul on. I forced myself back to a standing position and wobbly made it to the open door. Just as I was about to go in, Soul just had to say one last thing.

"Don't act like you didn't like it."

A word was dancing on the tip of my tongue. A word that Liz used when she was mad. A word that I never thought I'd say to anyone; jerk or not. Now however, I let it rip itself from my tongue in the highest volume I could manage with my alcohol-soaked vocal chords.

"Fuck You Soul!"

The voices inside hushed, clearly effected by my vocabulary, but that didn't matter at all. All that mattered was if Soul was, and by the way he was standing with that expressionless face, it was clear he hadn't been. I slammed the door behind me. I grabbed the closest person to me, some boy with his hair in a ponytail, and tugged him down to my eye level.

"Where's Tsubaki?"

I was practically hissing.

"Uh, she might be in the kitchen," the guy offered hurriedly.

I shoved him back letting him bump into his friends. I began stomping my way past all the stares I was receiving and started looking for Tsubaki. It didn't take long.

"She's dying," Patty was saying to the blue-haired guy. He was sitting at the bottom of the stairs with an unconscious Tsubaki in his arms.

"No, she's not," he said soothingly.

Someone grabbed my arm and I turned ready with something vicious to say.

"Woah, Maka. It's just me. Put your guns down," Liz said holding up both her hands.

"Tsubaki's sort of drunk so we need to get her home, but Black Star won't let go of her."

"Black Star?" I asked.

"Yah, him," she said motioning to the blue-haired guy curled up with my best friend on the stairs. I sighed.

"Ok."

I went over to him.

"Maka, she's not waking up," Patty whined.

I looked down at Tsubaki. For being a little drunk too, Black Star was cradling her rather gently. She had a deep flush on her skin and she was obviously breathing.

"Patty, Tsubaki's fine. She's just asleep," I said kneeling in front of them.

"Asleep?"

"Yah, and we need to get her home, ok?"

"Ok."

"I'm coming with you," Black Star added.

I looked to Liz.

"I've got it," she nodded.

"Ok, let's go," I said.

I stood and he did too, still holding her carefully. He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt showing off a star tattoo on his right shoulder, and cargo shorts the same color of Tsubaki's dress. I rolled my eyes as I led my party of four out the door of the house and down the street. Leave it to Tsubaki to get drunk with the one guy who was named after her precious stars. I went to get in the driver's seat but Liz stopped me.

"Uh, Maka? You're a little tipsy. I better drive."

I wanted to argue but didn't have the energy to. I knew a DUI would only cause me trouble. I moved to the back with Black Star and Tsubaki. She sat next to him but he held her head and shoulders. Patty was in the front seat and turned around to face me.

"So, what do we do?" she asked.

"We're bringing her to my house," I said.

"Yah," Liz agreed. "Her dick of a brother would murder her if she came home like that."

She pulled out and started driving. I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes. My anger had been spent and all that was left was this dull ache from somewhere inside me.

"Look at them Maka," Patty said softly from in front of me.

I looked to my left at Tsubaki and Black Star. He had wrapped his arm around her and she was now sleeping on his shoulder. It looked like he had fallen asleep too, nestled in her hair. They were holding each other's hands on her lap. I looked down at my hands, remembered what they had done today, and clenched them into fists. The rest of the ride remained silent. I pushed everything that had happened with Soul to the back of my mind, letting the road passing by us hypnotize me into a state of mental limbo. We get to my house quickly and all the lights are off. For once, I didn't mind my dad not waiting up for me.

"Ok, Patty. Here. Go open the door for us," I said handing her my house keys.

"Ok," she chirped.

She got out and scurried to the front door. I moved to unbuckle when Liz said,

"So, are you ever going to tell me what happened between you and Soul?"

I froze for a moment, then met her eyes.

"You saw?"

"And heard. I've never heard you drop the F-bomb before in my life."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and slowly let it retract.

"Yah, I'll tell you. Just not tonight."

Liz nodded in understanding.

"Just tell me this. Did he hurt you?"

Yes. He had to have in order for me to feel so bruised inside. But, I didn't feel like telling Liz that right now.

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

I got out of the car away from Liz's questions and went around to the other side. Apparently, Black Star had been awake because he came out on his own with Tsubaki. I led him up the sidewalk and into the house, asking Patty to show Black Star to my room. I went back out and leaned into the passenger window.

"So, what are you going to do with her car?" I asked.

"Well, I'll take Black Star back to the party and then see what Patty wants to do. You can pick up her car at my place or call me and I'll bring it over tomorrow," Liz said.

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least someone was still a little sane around here.

"Ok, thanks so much. You have no idea how much I owe you."

"Oh, I have a little bit of an idea," she said grinning.

I grinned back.

"Ok, well then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok, bye Maka," she called as I turned away.

Just as I reached my doorway Black Star and Patty appeared in front of me. Patty ran around us yelling,

"See ya Maka!"

I waved and turned back to Black Star.

"Thanks for taking care of Tsubaki, Black Star."

He rubbed the back of his head.

"Yah, no problem."

"Even though it was sort of your fault she got drunk in the first place," I said a little of my excess bitterness making its way out.

"Well, not totally, but yah. Sorry," he said shoving his hands into his pockets.

I walked past him and was about to close the door when he stopped me by saying,

"Maka?"

I turned around and faced him.

"Yah?"

He looked at the floor for a moment then back at me and said,

"I'm sorry for whatever Soul did to you."

So he _had_ heard that little exchange.

I know he can act like an ass, but, really, he doesn't mean it. He's not that bad of a guy."

I sighed, "Yah," and closed the door.

I locked it and went upstairs to my room. Tsubaki was on my bed against the wall under the blankets. I wondered what she was dreaming of. I hoped for her sake that it was better than my humiliation earlier. I didn't ever have to deal with Soul again, and that was still too soon for me.

**Soul's POV**

"Soul!"

I turned around away from the beer pong game I was watching.

"What? And where the hell have you been?" I asked Black Star.

"That's not important. What is important is your date. What did you do?"

I shrugged. Maka's little outburst had made its way around the world and back. Everyone at the party who had been bugging the shit out of me; asking who I came with, why, were now avoiding me and sending me wary glances. Back to the way I was used to.

"What does it matter?"

Black Star looked confused.

"But, I thought you said that she was…"

"Yah, and it sort of didn't work out," I interrupted. "And seriously where have you been? You were with that Tsubaki girl weren't you?"

Black Star didn't seem surprised that I knew about it but asked me anyway.

"How'd you know?"

"She seemed like your type," I said shrugging again.

"Well, ain't no use in denying. She got a little drunk though. Real low tolerance."

"You would get her drunk."

Reminded me of Maka. That must have been why her other friend came out to get her. Maka. That girl was definitely different than the rest of the loose and free-spirited girls who've followed me all year. She had never shown me any special attention and I guess I sort of liked that.

"I didn't get her drunk," Black Star said crossing his arms.

"Sure," I said grabbing someone's abandoned cup. "Not like you'll see her ever again when you leave tomorrow."

"Well, a man can dream," Black Star said brushing away my comment.

I downed the cups contents. I don't know what it was. I didn't care. All that mattered was me needing the alcohol in my system before I got home. Needing that numbing and memory loss inducing liquid to flow in my veins and pump through my heart before I had to climb up that godforsaken hill. Needing to not feel anything. Black star looked back to me with a neutral expression and asked,

"So?"

"So what?"

"What'd you do to Maka?"

"Nothing she didn't ask for," I said taking another half-empty cup and walking back outside to where Maka and I had gone.

"What do you mean by that?" Black Star asked following me.

"Well, what'd you expect with her dressed the way she was?" I asked lighting another cigarette from my shirt pocket.

"Oh my god Soul! Did you take advantage of her?!" Black Star panicked.

I just laughed.

"Holy shit Soul! That's still illegal right?!"

I exhaled, the smoke curling in the air in front of me.

"Yah. You've been gone a while but not that long."

I looked at his fearful face and decided to let him go.

"No, I didn't take advantage of her. Just seduced her a little and she got all pissy about it."

"Yah, she did look pretty upset. You suck dude," Black Star noted.

The cigarette stopped halfway to my lips.

"You saw her?"

"Yah. I went with her when she took Tsubaki back with her to her house," he answered.

I took a drag.

"So, you went to Maka's house?"

"Yah."

I turned to look at him, my grin widening.

"You're really whipped by that Tsubaki girl aren't you, to go to such lengths?" I said.

His jaw dropped.

"Am not! I am my own man! Hell, I am God!"

I shrugged and held my hands out, my cigarette clenched between my teeth.

"Well, God doesn't get his 'girl of the night' drunk. Did you guilt her into doing it by saying you didn't want to drink alone?"

"I didn't drink anything!" he insisted.

I nodded solemnly taking my cigarette out of my mouth.

"Right. I forgot. You're a jackass without needing to get plastered."

"Oh fuck you Soul," Black Star said rolling his eyes and going back inside.

I remembered the last time someone had told me that. I remembered the look she had given me as she said it. Her green eyes on fire, a forest fire. I could tell that she hated me in that moment. It was a look I remembered well. She had given me a lot of looks in the twenty minutes she had been with me. Annoyed, shocked, confused, woozy, smitten.

That last one wasn't entirely my fault. True, I had initiated it. Had gotten close enough to smell her hair, to touch her soft skin, to hear her panicked breathing, to see just how much of an effect I could have on her. However, she was the one who let me taste her. It really wasn't much of a kiss though, so it really shouldn't have mattered much.

I took another drag, holding it in longer than most, then slowly letting it out. So, Black Star knows where Maka lives huh? I smiled to myself. Well, maybe I should pay her a visit. After all, she might still want her necklace back.

**Maka's POV**

"He what?!"

Tsubaki looked at me with wide eyes. I motioned for her to lower her voice. I was sure my dad was still sleeping and the last thing I needed was for him to find two slightly hungover teenage girls in his house.

"Sorry," she whispered falling back onto the bed, her raven hair splayed across the pillow. "Like he actually said that? To your face?"

I nodded drawing my knees up and leaning against the wall.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you Maka."

"Not as sorry as I am," I mumbled.

"Well, look, at least you'll never have to see him again. He's gone. Out of your life. Forever"

I nodded again.

"I just wished that I didn't feel the way I do."

Tsubaki touched my hand.

"You know it's not your fault right? Soul was just being a jerk."

"No! It is my fault!" I yelled momentarily forgetting about my volume. "I let him bully me into going. I let myself get pushed into drinking. I let him touch me. I pulled him to me. It's all because of me, and I can't get over the shame of it."

I paused thinking I was freaking Tsubaki out, but she stayed attentive despite the monster headache she must be feeling. I had the perfect friend.

"I wanted it Tsubaki. I wanted it and I'm not sure I can blame my drinking for it. He was right. I can't blame him."

"It was probably you on some level yes, but what girl wouldn't react that way if a guy was acting like he was?"

"I guess."

Tsubaki was right. My dad was the perfect example of that. He was a scumbag, always chasing after skirts, can barely hold down his job and never wants a real relationship, yet, woman after woman walk through his door just for his attention.

"What'd you do after that?" Tsubaki asked mentioning the rest of my story.

"I screamed 'fuck you Soul' and walked away."

Her eyes grew huge again. Then she smiled and raised a hand for a high-five. I gave it to her as she laughed,

"Atta girl Maka. If there's one time you had to curse at someone I'm glad it was then."

"Thanks," I said smiling.

She placed one hand over her eyes.

"Ugh, my brother is going to kill me."

"Don't worry about it. Took care of it. Called him last night and told him you were sleeping over. Also, Liz has your car so we can pick it up from her later."

"Maka, I don't deserve you guys."

"We can use my dad's car to get it," I said.

She looked towards my bedroom door.

"Seriously though, why isn't your dad up and about making noise? I understand us, but shouldn't your dad be up at one in the afternoon?"

She was right.

"I'll be back," I told her.

I gingerly left my room. After a quick search I drew the conclusion that my dad wasn't home. I huffed in exasperation. I wondered if he had checked to make sure I had gotten home safely. Then I laughed. I went back upstairs and relayed the news to Tsubaki.

"Well, can I borrow something to wear? I might as well go get my car."

"Yah, of course. I'll come with you," I said.

We went downstairs to see what we could raid from the fridge. Tsubaki's phone buzzed with a text message.

"Hey. Liz says that her hangover remedy is: advil, pepto bismol, and coke."

"Sounds like a good idea to me. Headache, stomachache, and blood sugar levels. I've got the coke here. Want some?"

"Yah, good plan."

I took out some glassed from the cabinets and said,

"Hey can you check and make sure the car is still here. It would be just my luck that he took it."

"Yah, no problem."

She moved to the living room window and peeked through the curtains.

"Yah, it's here. Since when have you guys had a motorcycle?"

I looked up from the soda I was pouring.

"What? We don't have a motorcycle."

"But, there's a motorcycle parked in the driveway," she insisted.

"Probably someone who just parked…," I started but was interrupted by a knock at the front door.

After exchanging glances, Tsubaki casually peeked through the curtains in the opposite direction.

"Is anyone…" "Don't open the door!" Tsubaki interrupted shrinking back from the window as if the curtains had bitten her.

"Does he have a weapon!?" I freaked.

"No. You just wouldn't want to see him."

"Well, that's just rude," I said moving towards the door.

"No, Maka, really. It's no one," she amended.

I grabbed the door handle.

"Maka, you really shouldn't," she begged.

"Why?" I asked and opened the door.

"Because it's…"

"Soul," I breathed.

"Hey."

That word was dancing on my tongue again.


	5. Lonely Summer

I slammed the door. Tsubaki stared at me as I stared at the door. Why was he here? More importantly how did he know where I live? He knocked again. We heard him through the door.

"Come on Maka. Don't be like that. You're acting like a little kid."

I didn't want to listen to his voice anymore. I thought I would never have to see him again, yet here he is on my front step. I turned to leave, completely fed up.

"Don't you want your necklace?"

I froze and touched the place my necklace would normally lay. I had completely forgotten that I had never actually taken my necklace back. That stupid piece of jewelry was causing so much trouble.

"I can get it from him if you want," Tsubaki offered.

I shook my head. I had to face him, had to at least end this with me on top. I only prayed that he wouldn't make me take it off of him. I didn't think I could handle that again. I put my hand on the doorknob and slowly let it open. Soul was leaning on the doorframe, calmly waiting for me. He was wearing a simple long-sleeved black tee with dark red jeans. I hadn't really taken him in the first time I had seen him. My surprise anger had blinded me too much for that. But now that I saw him, I knew something was off about him. He looked tired. Really, really, tired. He must have drunk a lot more than I thought. He had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn't slept at all, not even a simple knock out like Tsubaki. For a moment I felt pity for him, but squashed it almost immediately. I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't want him to talk to me. I just wanted my necklace, the only thing that brought us together in the first place. He had a lopsided grin on his face so I could only assume that he was about to cause trouble.

"To be honest, I almost lost this thing like three times. The clasp is really loose. Probably how you lost it before."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out my necklace. He held his hand out to me, my necklace resting in his palm. I waited.

"So, you want it or…?"

He held his hand out farther. I waited. There was a catch and I wanted him to spit it out and get it over with. I knew that if I went for it he would only snatch it away and tell me I had to do some ridiculous stunt. I waited.

"Ok, you obviously don't trust me and I get that. So, here's what I'll do."

He bent down and placed my necklace on the floor, never breaking eye contact with me. He took a little longer getting back up. He turned around and started walking away slowly towards the black motorcycle; his apparently. I noticed that the handlebars had streamers like a girl's bicycle and it struck me as odd that I did. He climbed on and kicked the bike into ignition.

"See you around Maka," he promised.

He backed out of the driveway, then roared down the street. I looked down at the jewelry at my feet. He really had left it here. I bent down, scooped it up quickly and slammed the door.

"Wow, that was unexpected," Tsubaki said looking out the window. "Did you see the way he acted?"

"No, all I saw was him being on my doorstep that he somehow knew the location of," I said.

"No, I mean, did you see how slowly he moved? It looked like he was sore or something," she said ignoring my statement.

Tsubaki had always had a knack for knowing when something was in pain. All a part of her big sister complex.

"I wonder what he did last night."

"Probably some girl," I blurted without thinking.

Tsubaki smirked at my bitter tone. I put the necklace on and watched it slip off again. So, he hadn't lied when he had said the clasp was loose. Couldn't it have been loose when I needed it to be yesterday?

"So, what are you going to do now?" Tsubaki asked.

I palmed the necklace and made my way back to the kitchen.

"Nothing," I said as I picked up my soda glass.

"Nothing?" Tsubaki repeated.

"Nothing. I have what I need from him, and there's nothing that he needs from me. He's officially out of my life forever now and that is just fine by me."

I took a sip from my cup.

"So, do you want to go get your car?"

Two weeks went by without incident. Liz and Patty left on a month long trip with their parents as a last hoorah before they left for college. Tsubaki's brother was keeping a tighter leash on her ever since we showed up still slightly hungover. My dad was leaving almost every other day with some girl who came to pick him up in a black mini-van which made me wonder if she had kids. If I didn't know better it would seem to me that he was serious about this one, but I knew that would never happen. All in all, it left me alone in the house a lot.

I was pretty sure I would be able to deal with it, but I had to eventually admit it. I was bored. I was going to have a pretty lonely summer if I had to face these monotonous days every week. I rearranged my room, cleaned the house, read a couple novels and still had time left over to surf the net for whatever caught my fancy. I couldn't do this. I lay in my bed staring at my ceiling in my quiet room. It was too quiet. I stood and went to my dresser and opened the top drawer.

My small collection of CD's lay there and I looked through them. A Top 20 album Liz got me for homework after she found out I didn't know about some pop artists she was talking about. Under that was a mixed album that Tsubaki and I made, but it was when we were 10 so it was full of really terrible choices. Beneath that, on the bottom, was a scream album my dad got me as a last minute birthday present. I'm pretty sure he didn't even look at what he was grabbing when he bought it. I've never actually listened to it.

'I need new music,' I thought to myself. It was almost noon. If I left for the store now, I'd be able to make it back by at the very latest 2. I grabbed my wallet, my phone, and the car keys. I'm sure my dad wouldn't be back home until later in the evening so I saw no reason that I couldn't use the car. I pulled out of the driveway and took off towards the expressway.

I passed the old abandoned house on the steep hill just before the exit. It's been there longer than I can remember. There are rumors that people live there still, but I can't imagine anyone living in such a broken looking building. Kids go up there every Halloween and they always get chased out by an 'ogre' or a 'ghost', it changes every year. They were all, of course, just crazy stories, but it did make me wonder how long that house would last before the city tore it down. My mind moved on elsewhere as I made it to the highway.

Half an hour later I emerged in the next town over. There was a store that was solely about music. They sold albums, instruments, sheet music, and recording equipment. I stepped through the sliding door, the cashier only glancing up at me from the guitar in his arms. It was empty inside and that was fine by me. I started walking down the many aisles of music selections.

I wasn't like Liz and Patty with their pop music. Sure, I'll listen to it, but it was mostly about partying anyway, and I was obviously not the partying type. Tsubaki's indie music was really sweet, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't even bother with my dad's album because I preferred the lyrics not to sound like a tortured animal and screamo just didn't do it for me.

I went into the languages section and picked up a Spanish album by some guy named Prince Royce. That didn't sound very Spanish. I went down the aisle and picked up another one that was by a man called Josh Groban. That sounded pretty much like basic English to me. I looked up to see what other genres were around me when the entrance doors slid open again. The large man at the register looked up as well and stopped plucking at his strings to say,

"Soul! I thought you weren't coming in today."

Soul walked up to the guy and fistbumped him. I dove behind a row of CD's, crouching on the floor. Did I have to worry about this guy for the rest of my life? What was he even doing here? I got here first!

"You know me. Hate home so I gotta get out," Soul was saying.

'I heard that,' I thought to myself then shook my head for thinking like the enemy. Soul continued.

"So, business a little slow today?"

"There was a girl in here a little while ago but I don't know where she went," the cashier said.

"Look at you. So immersed in your playing that you let customers slip right through your fingers," Soul joked.

"As if you don't know the feeling," the cashier joked back.

They went back and forth a little bit more. I slowly crawled to the next row of music. If I could make it the next three rows towards the exit I'd be home free.

"Well, I'm going to get to work alright," Soul said.

"Ok, sure thing," his friend replied.

He worked here? I heard footsteps. I breathed a sigh of relief. He had just stopped for a quick gab session. Maybe now he would go to the back stock room or wherever he went while he was here. I stood again. As soon as I did I heard piano music fill the space. It was gorgeous and I wondered who the artist was.

"Hey, you're still here!" Cashier said noticing my return.

I waved awkwardly.

"See Soul, I told you I had one!" he yelled behind me.

The piano playing stopped. I turned slowly around. Soul was sitting at a large piano, his hoodie up over his head. He raised his head up just enough to laser me with those red eyes of his.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Maka," He said smiling.

I didn't answer. I palmed a random album from the rack next to me and basically ran to cashier guy.

"This it?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

I looked around for something to keep my eyes on and off to the side I saw a flyer for the Beginning of Summer Fair. I tried getting my dad to take me a million times but failed. I've tried going with my friends but somehow our plans fell through year after year. I've never been brave enough to go by myself so I've never gone.

"Comes out to a solid $11," cashier said.

I paid him and while he was putting the cash in the drawer he noticed my staring.

"You've ever been?"

"Huh? Oh, no."

"No? You don't like fairs?"

"I do. I've just never had anyone to go with."

He prints out my receipt.

"Soul goes every year. He's cool, he'll take you."

"No, way," I deadpanned.

He ignored me and yelled over my head.

"Hey Soul! Take this chick to the fair with you when you go! She's never been!"

I wanted to smash his guitar over his head. I snatched my receipt and my album from him and made a beeline for the door. There was no way I was getting caught up with Soul again.

"Ooh, you got rejected," I heard cashier guy say.

"I know, that's so uncool," I heard Soul reply.

I stomped to my car digging my keys out of my pocket. I was leaving and never coming back. Next time I'd get a Pandora account. I heard footsteps running quickly behind me and didn't have to turn around to know that Soul was giving chase. I ran the rest of the way to the car. I unlocked the door and opened it a fraction only for it to be slammed shut by a pale hand snaking over my left shoulder. I didn't want to turn around. Didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me totally pissed off. Didn't want to see that little grin on his face.

"So," he said his breath tickling the back of my neck. "You're a fair virgin."

I decided I didn't want the shivers he just gave me more than not wanting to see him. I turned around and became increasingly aware of his close proximity.

"What time should I pick you up?"

"You're not," I said and tried pulling on the door handle. He held the door shut. He smiled at my feeble attempt and that only angered me more.

"So help me Soul I will scream if you don't back off," I threatened.

He put a horror struck face on and said in mock fright,

"Oh no! Don't scream. God forbid you scream at an empty parking lot." He leaned in closer. "It might get its feelings hurt."

I cursed myself for going to the one store that was facing away from the street on the slowest possible business day.

"Look, Maka. I think we can help each other out."

"What?"

The phrase rang a bell somewhere in my mind.

"I have your keys and you need these right?"

I looked down at the car's empty keyhole, then back up to Soul's hand. It was dangling my keys by his head.

"How?" I asked shocked that I had missed his thievery.

"I need a date to the fair."

Wait, I recognized this.

"This is where you come in."

Oh. My. God! This was the same way he had forced me to be his date the first time. Holding my possessions hostage until I gave in. I knew how that particular night ended and I didn't want to go for a repeat performance.

"I said no, now give me my keys!"

He only blinked and continued in his script.

"Really Maka, I thought you were smarter than this."

I pulled on the door handle and Soul let go. I got in the seat and slammed the door shut and locked it. But, I couldn't leave, he had my keys. I slammed my hands on the steering wheel. Why did he have to do this again? This is all the cashier's fault for even suggesting the idea. It's Soul's fault for being so darn persistent. It was the universe's fault for throwing us together even though I clearly didn't want to. I didn't want to. Suddenly, I had a plan. I opened the door. Soul was still standing by the car, clearly pleased with himself.

"Ok, I'll go. Now give me my keys."

He couldn't keep my keys like he had done before with my necklace for insurance. This had to work.

"I'll pick you up at seven," He smiled.

He handed me my keys and walked away back to the store. I jumped back in my car, started it, and pealed out of there; my tires squealing on the pavement. I didn't want to go to the fair with him. He was going to have a date all by himself in my driveway because he could show up, but that didn't mean I was going to come out.

I stopped at a red light and for the first time looked at my purchase. It said, "Sleeping with Sirens." How does one sleep with a siren? If anything, that would keep me awake. Or maybe they meant siren as in that mythological creature that sang and lulled men underwater to a murky death. That also wouldn't involve much sleeping, unless of course you meant permanently. I glanced at the genre sticker on it. Screamo. Yep, today was full of history repeating itself.

"He said he was going to pick me up at 7 today."

"I thought you hated him Maka. Why are you going out with him?" Tsubaki questioned.

She had gotten her phone back today and we were catching up.

"I'm not. I just said that to get him to leave me alone. Not like he can drag me out of the house."

"OH, makes sense. You had me worried there for a moment," she laughed.

"What do you think you dad will say when Soul shows up in half an hour?"

I stretched back on my bed sighing.

"I don't know. Frankly, I don't care. I just want Soul to get the picture that I don't want him anywhere near me."

"He doesn't strike me as the type to respect personal space."

"You mean like how Black Star did? You know carrying you all over the place," I chuckled.

"I regret nothing," Tsubaki swore. "Besides, I really liked him. He's one of those hot-headed, egotistical, obnoxious types."

"Since when are you into that type?"

"Since one of them was nice enough to not take advantage of me when I was in a vulnerable state."

We spent a while more talking about that night and what happened between her and the physical manifestation of her celestial body obsession.

"Just wait until Liz and Patty hear about this."

"I know, they'll flip out when they learn about my horrible misadventures," I agreed.

We had tried contacting the Thompson sisters many times but they never responded. Our assumption was that their parents took their phones from them. Again. It was nothing new to us.

"Yah, Liz would go a little nuts. You know how she is, always one for the dramatic flair," Tsubaki agreed.

"I know she…,"

A rumbling outside interrupted my train of thought. I scrambled off my bed and went to the window.

"Maka? You still there?"

"Tsubaki, he just showed up," I said quietly into the phone.

I watched as Soul stopped his bike in the street. If he expected me to run out of the house ecstatically then he had another thing coming. But, then I watched in horror as he came off his bike, and up to the doorstep and knocked.

"Uh oh," I mumbled.

"What's wrong?" Tsubaki asked.

"He's coming to the house."

"Well just ignore him."

"I would," I said exiting my room. "Except my dad's home."

I stuck my head around the stairs and peeked at the entrance. My dad was going to answer it. My nerves immediately jumped in a slight panic.

"Uh, Tsubaki, I'll call you later," I said and quietly hung up the phone without waiting for a reply.

My dad opened the door. Soul was wearing a plain red t-shirt, black jeans and Vans. The exact opposite of what he wore last time he showed up at my house. Now he didn't look like some manipulative creature that my dad could automatically distrust.

"Hello, can I help you?" my dad asked.

Soul threw on his killer smile. I almost fell down the stairs.

"Hi Mr. Albarn. I'm Soul Evans. Can you tell Maka I'm here?"

My dad was no match for such sorcery.

"Oh, sure."

They both looked up at the stairs and I barely ducked in time.

"Maka! Your friend Soul's here!"

My dad spoke to Soul and said, "So, you going out with my daughter tonight?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ok. Take care of her."

My dad then turned and passed the stairs and noticed me at the top.

"Hey Maka what are you doing dressed like that? Your date's here. Go change."

I stared at him dumbfounded. He looked back to Soul and said,

"Come in Soul. She might be a while."

This rolling stone just wouldn't stop. Soul followed my dad past the stairs and wiggled his fingers at me, grin in place. I gritted my teeth. What kind of father did I have? I wasn't going out anywhere and no one was going to make me. I went down the stairs and joined them in the kitchen still wearing my sweatpants with pride.

"What's the matter Maka?" Soul asked me innocently.

I frowned at him. My dad came out of the fridge with a soda can and he looked at me studying my expression.

"You don't want to go do you?" he asked.

I could've cried with relief. My dad did have a heart. I nodded my head and he shrugged.

"That's ok. You two can hang out here tonight."

I had to scrape my jaw off of the floor. There was no way he was serious. He looked to Soul.

"She's home alone so much. I'm glad you're around."

Soul leaned his elbows on the island, head in his hand, clearly pleased with himself. I looked outside the window.

"Maybe I wouldn't be home alone so much if you stopped leaving with soccer mom out there," I said jabbing my thumb in the direction of the black mini-van outside. My dad choked on his sip of soda.

"She's here?!" he exclaimed ignoring the rest of my comment.

He abandoned his soda can and ran towards the door yelling behind him,

"Take care you two!"

The door slammed shut leaving me and Soul in an awkward silence. I took my dad's can and placed it in the fridge. I closed the fridge and leaned against it. Soul was staring at me. All hints of a smile gone. His laser-like eye were pinning me in place.

"Does that happen often?" he asked.

"Yep," I said quietly.

I became acutely aware that I was alone with Soul in an empty silent house and that was not sitting well with me. It would be less awkward if I just went ahead and left with him. I sighed, defeated.

"Wait here. I'll be ready in a minute."

I walked away from him, back up the stairs.


	6. Ferris Wheel

"**Hello everyone" to all my new readers and "wassup homies" to all my returning readers. Sorry this chapter took so long. I had to redo a lot of my writing, but I'm satisfied with the end result and I hope you are too. I want to say a quick thanks to everyone who's reviewed this story so far. I'm nothing without my fans. Love you all. Ok, now to the fanfic. **

I still didn't want to go. Any energy I may have had was sucked away when my dad left me alone with a relative stranger without a second thought. I wanted to be mad or shocked or hurt but I didn't. It was the same empty feeling of getting what I expected and nothing more or less. Even if this wasn't the most ideal situation, going out provided me with a distraction and _that_ was something I could appreciate. I throw on some jeans, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. I stepped into my Converse and went back downstairs.

"Wow, you look hot!" Soul said.

He was at the bottom of the stairs like the prom dates in movies. Though I knew he was only being stupid and didn't really mean it the comment still made me blush. I had my hair in a messy ponytail and didn't bother using make-up. I knew I was decent looking but I was nowhere near the 'hot' level.

"Yah, whatever. Can we just go?"

"Ooh, someone's excited," he said opening the door for me.

I passed him rolling my eyes. I stopped on the first step. I had forgotten about his bike.

"Come on," Soul said taking my wrist and dragging me with him. He climbed on and grabbed a leather jacket from the storage unit. He glanced at me.

"Climb on Maka."

I stood still. I'd never been on a motorcycle before and I had seen enough videos on the internet and TV that I knew the numbers of ways to get maimed on one was astronomically large. I looked down the sidewalk. If I took off now would he be able to catch me?

"What? Are you scared of motorcycles?" he asked raising an eyebrow at me.

I crossed my arms.

"No. It's dying that I'm scared of."

He laughed. It was oddly _not_ rubbing my nerves raw.

"Don't be scared. It's me."

"That doesn't help," I muttered.

However, I still moved behind him and gingerly got on.

"You set?" he asked.

"No."

"Perfect. Hold onto me."

If there was one thing I never wanted to do again it was touch Soul. He seemed to sense this.

"Look, you either hold onto me, or the bars on either side of you."

I looked down and by my thighs on each side was a chrome bar. I slid my fingers around them and said,

"Ok."

Soul started the bike and pulled out to the street. I was probably having an asthma attack with the way I was breathing. My fingers were curled so tightly around the bars I was afraid I would break my hands. Or the bars. Whichever gave out first. At a stoplight Soul turned a little and said over his shoulder,

"We'll be hitting the highway in a minute. You sure you don't want to hold onto me?"

"Very," I replied.

He shrugged and turned back around. As we passed the abandoned house I saw the highway and started to rethink my decision. After taking in the speed of the cars I reasoned that if it was between Soul and death, Soul would take the cake. I let go of the bars and loosely wrapped my arms around his waist.

"You'll need them tighter than that," he yelled at me.

Before I could say anything he floored it onto the freeway. Well, they were tighter now. In fact they were so tight I wondered if he was still able to breathe. I was digging my nails into his shirt and I was pressed completely against his back, eyes squeezed shut because if we were going to crash I didn't want to see it coming. My hair was being whipped around behind me and the sound of all the traffic around us was freaking me out. How did Soul enjoy doing this on a regular basis? Did I ever think I would willingly put myself in such a position? No. But, did I want to be thrown from the bike and suffer a horrific death? That was a bigger no. So, I clung to Soul like a drowning man to a life preserver and just prayed we got there quickly. My prayer was answered 10 minutes later, although it felt more like an eternity.

Soul pulled off at an exit and turned onto a dirt lot filled with cars. He slowed to a stop but I didn't let go of him. He shut off the engine and I was still stuck.

"Uh, Maka?"

I didn't answer.

"Maka, you alive back there?"

I loosened my grip.

"Maaakaaa?" he sang.

I let go completely and slapped his shoulder.

"Soul you idiot! I almost died back there!"

"I'm pretty sure you didn't."

I leaned my forehead on his back.

"But, I could've."

"Yet, you didn't," Soul said climbing off the bike and helping me down.

"I'll take care of you ok? No worries."

"Humph," I snorted. "Funny. This coming from the guy who was harassing me in a parking lot yesterday."

"Touché," was his reply.

He started walking towards the gated entrance and I followed. He paid the lady in the booth and she wrapped a red tag around his wrist. He motioned for me to let her do the same to me. Inside I asked,

"What are these for?"

He pointed a finger ahead of us.

"So, we can ride those."

I look up and for the first time take in everything. Large, monstrous, machines were flinging people into the air, twirling them round and round, or flipping them in fluid movements. The riders were screaming in delight or terror or a mix of the two. I'd been to an amusement park once before but I was too young to get on most of the rides. I'd also been too young to have many memories. I only remembered being crowded around by a lot of people. Now, that I was older and taller I could see what I had missed out on. Light, colors, sounds, smells. The excited yet relaxed frenzy everyone was in. It looked like so much fun and it made me question my anti-leaving-the-house nature.

"You look like you're about to faint. You ok?"

I had grabbed onto Soul's sleeve without realizing it.

"Uh, yah. I'm just fine," I said releasing him. "So, what now?"

"Now, we ride!" Soul exclaimed loudly.

I followed him to ride after ride. On one we were being spun at an almost supersonic speed and the force was throwing me against him. The next was a sort of sideways rollercoaster that went up and down in a circle. However, the next one was another speed demon that forced me to be completely against Soul against my will. I was sure he was picking those types on purpose. As much as I wanted to stay bitter at my father and furious with Soul, I couldn't. I couldn't stop myself from being thrilled and laughing and having a genuinely good time.

"Oh my gosh. Next time you tell me to get on the swings with you, it's going to be and automatic no," I promised.

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad."

"You kept kicking the guy in front of us!"

"It was his fault for throwing nachos at me in the first place."

"Because you tripped him!"

"I said I was sorry. It was an accident anyway."

I rolled my eyes and asked for napkins from a lady selling deep fried something or other. I sat Soul down at a bench and proceeded to wipe some leftover nacho cheese from his hair.

"They didn't charge you for these?" he asked pointing at the napkins.

"No," I answered. "Do they usually?"

"Well, no," he admitted. "But, I wouldn't be surprised if they did, Any place that sells stuff here is usually selling them for a few bucks more than they should be."

I paused my cleaning momentarily. I hoped that Soul hadn't spent too much on me. I noticed Soul's gaze on me and immediately se to work again. After another once over I deemed Soul dairy-free.

"Geez, the next time I trip someone I better make sure they're not armed with food," Soul grumbled rubbing his hair.

"So, you admit to tripping him!" I exclaimed.

"On accident!" he insisted.

"Whatever," I conceded.

I picked up the used napkins and walked away to a trash can. No sooner had I reached it when two guys hanging around it began giving me catcalls. I ignored them and threw my stuff away; only they didn't feel like ignoring me. One of them followed me and ran his hand across my thigh. I turned around ready to smack him. The first thing I noticed was that he was way taller than me, not including his black hair that was spiked on top. The second thing I noticed was that one eye was dark while the other had some sort of symbol in it. It must've been a contact.

"Now, now. Don't be mad. Take it as a sign that I think you're hot," he said.

His blond friend behind him smiled lecherously. I began to reprimand myself for not bringing a book with me. If I had I would've buried it in his skull by now. I was about to make a run for it when Contact Guy looked behind me and frowned. A second later an arm draped itself around my shoulders. I was ready to attack again but didn't when I saw who it belonged to.

"Oh. She yours Soul?" Contact Guy asked.

Soul didn't answer. Instead he turned us around and led me away from them.

"What happened to staying single Soul?" one of them called out.

Beside me, Soul growled. Like, an actual animalistic growl. It was kind of scary. We didn't stop walking until we were in another line. Soul broke the awkward silence.

"You ok?"

"Yah," I answered looking at his fingers brushing the tip of my collar bone.

He seemed to notice my gaze because he promptly took it away. To my surprise, I hadn't really minded it all that much. I looked up at him.

"They knew you."

"Yep," he agreed not meeting my gaze.

"Do you know them?"

"Wish I didn't."

We moved up in the line. I was grateful that Soul had sort of come to my rescue. I was expecting him to watch from afar and be entertained at my expense. After all, that seemed to be one of his favorite activities. So, he had a non-jerkish side. That was good news. I looked ahead at where the line was headed. It was a large ferris wheel that stretched high into the sky, its colorful lights blinking on and off in various patterns. I didn't say anything else until we reached the front and were escorted into our car. As soon as the doors closed I had a horrible thought.

The events had aligned themselves so perfectly it was almost as if they had been planned. There was no way it was all coincidence. I looked at Soul who was sitting across from me looking out the window, and gulped. I had ready many romance novels over the years and I recognized my current situation so clearly it may as well have been written in lights above our heads. First the male love interest and the female love interest look like they would never work out. Then they got friendly. Then one of the interests reveals something about themselves that the other interest likes. Normally something like bravery or loyalty. Then after all that the couple has a ferris wheel scene.

The day was now straight out of one of my novels. Our friendly moment was when Soul was cheesed. Then I learned that Soul was protective, which isn't a bad quality to have. Now, we're on the fateful ride. The girl is supposed to be scared of heights and the guy comforts her. Or, they sit next to each other and accidentally place their hands on top of each other. Or, worse. The wheel stops with them at the top and suddenly the guy confesses and the girl can't do anything about it because she's stuck a mile in the air.

I was panicking. 'Ok, ok, just think about this,' I told myself. 'You're not scared of heights and he's sitting across from you. That rules out two of the possibilities.' I closed my eyes and prayed very hard that the wheel wouldn't freeze.

"Maka?"

I opened one eye and found Soul staring at me.

"You afraid of heights or something?"

"Ahh! No no no no no! I'm not! I'm just fine with heights!"

Oh my god it was beginning! Soul didn't seem to grasp the severity of the situation.

"Whatever," he shrugged.

I looked out the windows and saw the whole fair from above. It was very pretty. We were almost at the top. Right about now the girl would open the door for something cheesy and say something like, 'It's beautiful isn't it?' and the guy would reply, 'yes it is' looking at her. Soul however wasn't cheesy. Not anymore at least.

"So, what'd those guys say to you anyway?"

He kicked his feet up onto the seat and looked up through the glass ceiling.

"Nothing really. He told me to take his groping as a sign that he thought I was hot," I said gritting my teeth at the memory.

Soul chuckled and I looked at him. He looked back at me and said,

"I told you, you were."

I felt heat immediately rush to my face and I stared back at the window hoping Soul couldn't see the expression I was making. Of course he would find a way to fit the compliment in. I couldn't believe I was foolish enough to think this ride wouldn't have any consequences if I prayed for it to be so.

We made it to the top of the wheel… and didn't stop. I was eternally grateful.

"Hey," Soul said.

I glanced at him.

"Try this."

He motioned for me to lie down the way he was. The pinnacle point of the ride was over so I was sure nothing could happen now. I lay down and looked through the ceiling. We were still high enough to where the fair's lights couldn't reach us. The result was a clear night sky with stars sprinkled throughout it.

"Wow. It's so pretty," I said without thinking.

"Sure is," he responded.

I didn't dare look over. If he was looking at me I was sure to flip out. Soon enough we came back down and we exited. I breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing horrendous had happened so I took it as a good omen of things to come. Wrong. Soul dragged me to a game booth that involved shooting moving targets.

"What are you doing?" I asked him out of breath from running.

"I have to win you something," he declared.

"What? Why?"

"Because when you go on a date to the fair the guy has to win the girl something," he said aiming his gun at the swinging targets.

"But, it's not a date," I said.

Soul rolled his eyes over to me.

"Did I ask you to be my date to the fair?"

"Yes, but…"

"Did you say yes?"

"Well yah but…"

"Then it's a date."

I huffed. He was so stubborn. It was really quite childish. To my surprise he shot down everything he aimed at. The guy running it said he had never seen someone with such good aim before.

"Close your eyes Maka," Soul said when he was told to choose a prize.

I acquiesced.

"Ok, hold your hands out," he said.

I sighed and did so. The next thing I knew something fluffy was in my arms. I opened my eyes and found a zombified black rabbit in my hands. It looked as if a kindergarten girl and a horror junkie joined forces to create this creature that had half-eaten appendages. I waited to be repelled. But, it wasn't. It was sort of cute in a dismembered sort of way. It was more original than a pink teddy bear which I appreciated. Soul waited patiently for my response. I hugged it to myself.

"Thank you Soul."

He was clearly pleased and gave the game attendant two thumbs up. The attendant returned the gesture.

"Ok, now that that's done I've got to take you home," he said turning towards the exit.

"Not like my dad will be there," I mumbled.

Soul caught it.

"Don't want to go home? I can feel that."

For a moment I almost wanted to talk to Soul. Really talk to him. But then I remembered why I was here and everything that had led up to it. Soul was manipulative, pushy, stubborn, annoying and would probably take whatever I tell him and use it against me. He was that kind of person. I had already seen that firsthand. We walked out of the gates and I sighed in relief for what felt like the 10th time that day. It was over. Now Soul really could move on and so would I.

"What are you looking so relaxed for?" Soul asked.

"Huh?"

"You still have the ride home to look forward to."

His motorcycle. My fear of death. The horrible need to be completely against Soul even though I should probably be used to that by now what with all the rides we went on.

"Ugh," I grumbled.

Soul laughed.

Soul pulled into my driveway and I quickly got off the bike.

"Jeez, I don't think I'll ever get used to riding with you," I said squeezing my rabbit to me.

"You will," Soul said smiling.

"What?"

Soul leaned forward resting his arms on the handle bars, the streamers fluttering in a slight breeze.

"Well, your dad said you were home alone a lot. So, I'm coming to kidnap you."

I inwardly cursed my father for literally rolling out the welcome wagon for, again, a relative stranger.

"Yah, I don't think so," I said.

"You'll change your mind," he predicted.

I took a breath then said,

"Thank you Soul. For taking me, and saving me from those creepy boys and for this little guy," I said pointing to my zombunny.

I really didn't want to admit it but the fair had been fun despite the godawful way I had been invited.

"Sure," Soul said.

I turned to go but Soul stopped me again.

"So, what are you going to name it?"

I turned around.

"Name what?"

"Him," he said pointing at my rabbit.

"I haven't named any of my stuffed animals since I was 8."

"You have to. He deserves one," He insisted.

I knew I better go with it or he'd never get out of the driveway.

"Ok. Any ideas?"

Soul looked thoughtful for a moment then said,

"It's a zombie. So, it's a mix of two things. A rabbit and a monster. So, his name has to be a mix too."

So what are we mixing? Our names?" I joked.

"That's perfect," Soul exclaimed.

Oh. Well, then. I tried out the first name combo I came up with.

"What about SoMa?"

Soul looked at me very seriously.

"That, is genius. I like SoMa."

I looked at my deformed toy. I sort of liked SoMa too.

"Ok, night Maka," Soul said as he backtracked into the street.

"Night, Soul," I replied.

I went inside the dark, empty house as Soul roared down the street. Soul was an enigma I couldn't figure out. Sometimes a jerk, sometimes a nice guy. It was strange. I put off any more thoughts about him and crawled into bed, SoMa under one arm.


	7. Living Obliviously

**OH My soul! It's been so long you guys and I'm doing the dogeza to all of you for taking 3 months to get my next update. I won't bore you with any of my excuses. I swear I'll try to be a bit quicker with my updates. It's not summer anymore so I can't promise weekly chapters but it sure as hell won't take 3 months. I feel like this chapter is more of a filler chapter so I apologize if it comes out sounding half-assed. Anyway, back to the continuing story. **

"So what? He's bipolar?" Tsuabki asked.

She was lying on her back on my bed scrolling through her phone. She was on a rare day where her brother didn't mind her coming over. She was slowly breaking loose. I searched through my desk some more. I was looking for batteries for my stereo. If I could find some, I could play my CD I had gotten a few days ago.

"I don't know. Maybe he is. He's hidden it well since he's hardly done anything in school for four years."

"But, you sort of like him yes?"

I faced her and deadpanned, "No, Tsubaki. In case you've forgotten, he's the bane of my existence."

I turned back to shuffling through drawers. I might have to go look for some in the kitchen.

"I didn't mean like romantically or anything. You're too stubborn for that," she amended. "I meant it like, you two could maybe be friends someday."

I shut a drawer and faced her again.

"Tsubaki, you know about what happened between us. You know how awful he can be."

"But you know how nice he can be."

I facepalmed.

"Where is this even coming from?" I mumbled.

Tsubaki sat up and placed a fist over her heart.

"It comes from my belief that people aren't always what they seem."

"You're a sandwich," I said turning back to my room.

"I'm a what? A sandwich?" she questioned.

"Yes. Because you're full of bologna."

Tsubaki chuckled as I left my room and went downstairs to look for batteries. After rummaging through a cabinet in the kitchen, I went back toward the stairs. Honestly, how Tsubaki could even imagine a time when Soul and I would play nice with each other was unbelievable. I'm sure that she could tell that we both hated each other. He obviously would have to in order to keep harassing me everywhere I went. Then again, Tsubaki always freaked whenever anyone did anything wrong, but then turned right around and prayed she was mistaken and that a good person still existed within them. I shouldn't be surprised. I opened my bedroom door.

"Ok, so I…."

Tsubaki was smiling at me strangely.

"What?" I asked slowly closing the door behind me.

"You like Soul at least a smidgen, if not now then at some point you did."

I rolled my eyes.

"You're still not going to let this go?"

"No. Because now I have proof!" she exclaimed.

I grabbed my stereo and proceeded to fiddle with the old batteries inside it.

"How can you have proof of something that doesn't exist?" I questioned.

The old batteries popped out, and I stuck the new ones in.

"Behold my proof."

I set the stereo back down and looked to see Tsubaki holding up my zombunny.

"How's that proof of anything?" I asked reaching for my rabbit. She pulled it out of my reach.

"If you really hated him as much as you say you do, then you wouldn't have kept this."

I frowned and crossed my arms.

"So what? I hate someone and that means I can't like stuffed animals?"

"Of course not," she said. "It just means that you don't hate him as much."

True, at the fair Soul had become an almost completely different person. Instead of being stubborn and annoying he had been protective and actually quite nice. However, Tsubaki needn't know that. If I just let her believe in us, nothing more would come out of this and she would learn what a hopeless train of thought she had boarded.

"Yah, whatever," I said turning my attention back to the stereo. "Just don't mess up SoMa."

The second the word left my lips I knew I was in trouble. I closed the lid on the back of the stereo, hiding away the batteries, hoping Tsubaki hadn't caught it. I was a fool to hope.

"You named it SoMa?"

I said nothing. Anything I say can and will be used against me. It was silent for a moment and then she giggled.

"That's a cute name for such a weird looking thing. Well, at least Soul has a little originality, you've got to give him that."

"Uh, yah," I agreed.

I really didn't want to talk about Soul anymore. I'd much rather find out what kind of band this Sleeping with Sirens CD had to offer. Just as I went to grab it a knock sounded at the door. I waited to hear my dad's footsteps going to answer it. Nothing. The knock sounded again. More quiet. Dad must have left with Soccer Mom again and another one of his clients is at the door feeling rejected and demanding an explanation.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Tsubaki asked.

"Nah," I said waving the knock away. "It's probably just another one of my dad's female friends."

"Oh."

The knocking continued for another minuet. Tsubaki glanced at me trying desperately to rip the plastic off my album to no avail.

"Maybe you should tell her he's not here."

"She's pretty persistent isn't she?"

"Yah, almost like Soul is when he asks you out," Tsubaki said grinning at her phone.

"Ugh, not this again."

I got up to look out the window. Whoever she was she had no quit in her. I only took a couple of steps when I immediately froze. From where I stood I could see my driveway. From my spot I could see Tsubaki's car. I could also see the black motorcycle right behind it. Tsubaki noticed my standstill.

"Maka?"

I walked back to my desk, grabbed a pair of scissors and stripped my CD of its plastic casing.

"Maka?" she tried again.

"Yes?"

"You ok? You kind of went still for a moment."

The knocking persisted.

"Yep."

There was no way I was opening the door, talking to him, or acknowledging his existence. Ever. Yet again, the universe had different plans.

"Maka, I know you're in there!"

My eyes widened. Tsubaki looked at me.

"Did she just call for you?"

"Nope."

"Maka! I'm getting kind of bored out here!"

Tsubaki stood and moved to the window. I cringed.

"Isn't that Soul's bike?"

Drat. She whipped her head around, her eyes wide.

"You agreed to see him again?!"

"No!"

"Well, he obviously wants to see you again!" She said turning back to the window.

I sighed.

"I knew he had planned on coming, I just didn't think he would ever actually do it."

Tsubaki gave me a dumb face.

"You doubted that Soul meant what he said? After everything that's happened?"

She was right. Whenever he set his mind to something, it would be done. I was a fool to hope otherwise.

"Just go answer it," she said.

"No way," I promised.

Tsubaki groaned.

"At some point you're either going to like Soul or learn how to live with him, because it's pretty obvious he's not going to go away for the time being. Besides what's he going to do for either of you? It's just going to keep you a miserable wreck and he'll just keep on living obliviously."

Whether it was Soul's annoying knock or Tsubaki's prodding that caused me to stomp down the stairs, I'll never know. I threw open the door.

"What?" I said through gritted teeth.

Soul was grinning, clearly amused.

"You feel like leaving?"

"Huh?" I questioned.

"I'm kidnapping you."

I rubbed my eyes. This had to end, now. I don't care about any of the future consequences. I just didn't want to deal with him anymore.

"Soul, do you hate me?"

The grin faded from his face.

"No," he answered simply. As a follow-up he said, "But, you don't hate me either."

I looked at him oddly.

"If you don't hate me, why do you bully me into doing things with you?"

"You wouldn't do them otherwise."

"Duh! Because I don't know you!"

Soul's hands went into his pockets.

"Isn't that the point of hanging out? To get to know each other?"

"But not when it's forced," I said. "Besides, we've hung out already and I don't know anything about you and you don't know anything about me. Just call it quits and stop bothering me!"

Why couldn't he get the picture? What taught him that friendship, or whatever relationship he though he wanted with me was obtained through this weird abuse?

"You are smart."

"What?"

Soul was looking down at the ground.

"You were the valedictorian of our class."

"Yah, so?"

What was he getting at?

"You have three best friends: Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki who you're closest to."

I blinked.

"You live with your dad who doesn't give you enough attention."

"Hey!"

He looked up at me, his eyes bright.

"You look really good in red. You can't hold down alcohol for shit. You have a necklace that holds an extreme amount of sentimental value."

What was he saying? Why all these facts about me?

"You would rather read at home than do anything else. You wear your hair in pigtails most of the time. You're uncomfortable in crowds."

"Soul," I said.

"You take care of your friends. You're not afraid of heights. You're flat-chested."

"Rude," I commented.

He continued on.

"You're close-minded when it comes to new things. You don't trust many people. You are honest. You like zombie rabbits. You are drawn to me in the faintest of ways."

He leaned his head down closer to me. I couldn't breathe. When did he get so close? How had I not noticed? His lips parted revealing rows of sharp teeth. My heart was pounding. It had to be fear, right? His voice was now a whisper.

"If I tried to kiss you, you'd probably let me."

Where was I? I was clearly not all here. I couldn't feel anything. Not my feet on the ground, not my hands at my sides. Somewhere in my brain was the spark of thought, 'he's doing it again'. However, another spark said, 'let him.' Before I could figure out what was happening Soul hugged me to him. His heart was beating just as fast as if not faster than mine. If I could feel his there was no possible way he didn't feel mine. His breath was on my ear.

"You think I'm an asshole when I do things like this."

He pulled away eyes staring straight into mine.

"Don't say I don't know anything about you."

He turned away and walked across the lawn to his bike. He sat on his bike and turned the key. The engine came to life. He looked back to me, and smiled gently.

"I'll try again another time Maka ok?"

He backed out of my driveway and went roaring down the street. I stayed shocked in the doorway for a few moments then slowly closed the door. I turned around and found Tsubaki looking at me.

"That was…wow," she said.

I nodded. I walked past her back up to my room. She followed. After flopping down on my bed Tsubaki broke the silence.

"Does this mean that he's not a bad person now?"

I growled in frustration. I didn't know. I didn't know anything. While he oh so obviously knew everything.

Days passed without any more interruptions. One evening, I was in my room on my laptop. My father called from downstairs.

"Maka! Your friend's here! They're going up to your room!"

"Ok!" I answered back.

Tsubaki would be a welcome presence. Soul's visit had really shaken me up. It made me think. He was a manipulative jerk that was true. But he was also a nice friend. Which left me to wonder, which version of Soul was the real one? The silent, heartthrob that he'd been at school for four years? The pushy, and stubborn guy that he's acted as? The protective and gentle person he's proven he could be? How could there be so many attributes in one person when they directly conflicted with one another? How could one person have such polar opposites of themselves in one body? It didn't make any sense. I really shouldn't be so flustered about it. No means no right? So, why did I keep saying yes, in my mind?

"God this is frustrating!" I yelled slamming my hands over my eyes.

"It really isn't. You just put your King on the empty space. And here I was thinking you were smart."

My breath caught and I whirled my chair away from my desk to see where the voice came from. Soul stood behind me leaning his back on the wall beside my door.

"Soul!" I freaked. "What are you doing here?"

He kicked my door shut and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor.

"I'm watching you suck at Solitaire."

I looked back at my laptop screen with red and black cards lined up with each other. I shut it, hiding away my game.

"No, why are you in my house? How'd you get in?"

"Uh, the door," He said twirling a piece of his hair between his fingers.

My dad must have let him in. Why would my father allow a boy to go up to his daughter's room alone and unsupervised? He really must not care. I turned my chair back to my desk. Fine, I didn't care either. I sat and stared at my desktop for what seemed like a long time. No one else seemed to be bothered by Soul and the way he acts. Was I overreacting? I was tired of fighting against the tide. Soul broke the silence.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked not turning around.

"Well, clearly you don't want to play Solitaire anymore, and now you've got a friend. What now?"

I laughed. "Friends? Is that what we are?"

"If not, then what are we?"

I rested my head in my hands.

"I don't know what we are, but we're not friends."

"Ouch", he said behind me.

"If we were friends, you wouldn't act like such an ass," I said.

I was pissed and I didn't want him here and I most likely lost my Solitaire game when I shut my laptop. I was not in a good mood.

"Who said I was acting?" he chuckled.

"Ugh," I grumbled.

He laughed again.

"Soul, friends don't bug the crap out of other friends."

"I tend to be a rare exception."

I reluctantly turned. Soul was looking at me his white bangs falling a little over his eyes. I opened my mouth about to say something else when he beat me to the punch.

"What's your type?"

I huffed out a lungful of air.

"Huh?"

"What's your type of friend?"

I paused for a moment, thinking.

"Well, probably someone honest, loyal, and real."

Soul nodded. "I like that."

I looked around the room, at anything but Soul. His question had completely taken the wind out of my sails.

"So, I'm your type," he said.

I felt a slight heat rush at his choice of words.

"What do you mean?"

He grinned at me.

"Have I ever lied to you or cheated on you?"

"What?"

"Then that means I'm honest and loyal."

"So, what? Are you not real?"

"I'm not fictional," he said avoiding my eyes.

I was now curious by the way he skirted the question.

"Are you real?" I tried again.

He looked out my window.

"What do you see when you look at me?"

I didn't hesitate.

"Someone manipulative and bossy, and stubborn." I stood up and walked towards him. "You don't take 'no' for an answer. You have no consideration for anyone else's feelings. And you're always showing up at my house!"

I stood directly in front of him now, staring down at him. He looked up at me, his eyes a shade darker. He stood up slowly and soon came toe to toe with me. He was close again. I clenched my jaw refusing to give in to his spell a third time. Now, that I wasn't panicking I could take in way more of Soul. His eyelashes looked almost non-existent being as white as his hair. His breathing was steady and even. He had a straight and strong jawline. His eyes looked…tired. That struck me as odd. He normally was so full of energy. Must've been a long night last night doing who knows what? Soul grinned and said in a low voice,

"And you said you didn't know anything about me."

I tried to stay pokerfaced, but he could probably tell I was flailing again. He mercifully backed away and went over to my window.

"Ok, Maka here's the thing. When your dad answered the door he was happy to see me. Said it was about time you had a serious boyfriend." Soul looked at me over his shoulder with a smile. "I didn't bother correcting him."

"Soul!" I said angrily, feeling a furious blush crawl up my face.

He turned back around.

"He said I was welcome anytime."

"Of course he would say that," I muttered.

I couldn't wait to move out so my father couldn't pull any more of these ridiculous stunts.

"Plus," Soul continued "he said, and I quote ' I know how unreceptive Maka can be. If she gives you the cold shoulder just come back downstairs to my office. I have the cutest baby pictures I could show you."

I slumped on my bed facing the ceiling. "It's official, he wants to kill me."

There were enough photos of me, before we lost mom, to blackmail me from now until the end of time.

"So, I can either hang with you here or hang with you downstairs," Soul said.

I sit up a little to look at him.

"Or we could just go out again," he offered.

I fell back down. I closed my eyes. I was ready to give up. Ready to accept my fate. Ready to acknowledge that Soul's life and mine were going to be solidly intertwined, at least, for a little while. At the same time as I was annoyed I was also a little pleased. He would finally answer my question of his split-personality. Maybe he would answer my new question: Is he real or not? I let out a held in breath.

"Ok Soul, you win."

He was quiet for a few moments which made me wonder if he heard me. I opened my eyes ready to repeat my statement when suddenly his head appeared above me.

"Cool," he stated.

I jumped, startled and had a head on collision with his forehead.

"What the heck Soul?!" I said grabbing my throbbing head.

"What? You're the one who spazzed," Soul grumbled rubbing underneath his bangs.

"You don't just scare someone like that," I said glaring at him.

"Well, damn if I scare you, you need to be less jumpy. I'm not that creepy," he retaliated.

For the next half hour we insulted each other. Threw out every name in the book, and Soul added some that I didn't know were even part of the book. It was strange, but it felt sort of freeing to tell him exactly what I thought of him, even if half of the things I said weren't true and I was finally able to relax more knowing exactly what he thought of me even if he made some stuff up as well. Knowledge really is power. We were sitting on my bed after we had called it a draw. I looked over at him.

"So how often are you coming over?"

"Hmm?" he asked.

Soul was not stretched out on the bed next to me, though I made sure to leave plenty of space between us. He was preoccupied with SoMa, flipping his ears one way then the other.

"You're going to be showing up a lot aren't you, now that the doors are always open? How often?" I repeated.

"I don't know, probably whenever I feel like seeing you," he said sitting up.

I sat up a little more as well.

"I can't wait for the day you won't feel like it."

Soul paused SoMa's ear flipping.

"Maka, the day I don't feel like coming over, is the day you're already with me where I am."

And with that Soul looked away from me turning his attention back to the zombunny leaving my heart doing some serious somersaults. There was no way he could mean that.

**Soul's P.O.V.**

"Aww you didn't stay long," Maka's dad whined.

It was embarrassing how this full-grown man was behaving.

"I'll be back, don't worry," I promised as I made a beeline to the front door.

I breathed a sigh of relief when it shut behind me. I walked across the lawn to my waiting bike. As I was turning the key I looked up at Maka's room window. It was empty. I chuckled to myself. It was too early to expect her to watch me leave. I pulled out of the driveway and tore down the road. I remembered that one line I had told her an hour ago. About when I wouldn't want to see her. That may or may not have been one of my stupidest moves. It sounded as if I was in love with her and wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. As if that would ever happen.

I knew I couldn't, even if I wanted to. No, not after what that woman told me. Maka had piqued my interest for four years, but I never acted on that curiosity. I stayed far from any relationship, even friendships. Well except for Kid, whose O.C.D. kept him from people too. In a way I guess I saw him as a kindred spirit. A spirit who needed everything to have perfect symmetry or he would positively die. Unlike Kid, my relationship with Maka is intended to be short-lived. A 'summer fling' if I really needed to give it a label. Not long enough to let anything real take place. The cold wind whipped around me as I rounded a corner.

Real. Maka was almost realer than me. And I wasn't very real. Like me she hides herself. That's probably why she got such good grades, burying herself in her studies like she did. I blew through a stop sign getting an angry car horn in response. I hid too. Behind my middle school antics, the ones she so strongly detested. I wasn't really that person, but I had nothing else to go on. Nothing else to keep me caged.

I pulled up onto a dirt road and pressed forward. I got that uneasy feeling in my stomach. Like a stone is lodged there getting bigger and bigger with every passing second. I get the same feeling every time I started on this road. I wouldn't call it fear. Fear is what you feel when you don't know what's ahead. I would call this sort of thing something more familiar than that. I don't know if there's a word for how it feels. Perhaps dread? Maybe I'll ask Maka next time I see her. Then again maybe not. The less she knows, the better. I have our afternoon to think about now. To drown out any other thoughts. To keep me from exploding. I shifted gears as I started the bike's uphill climb.


	8. Shadowed Rubies

"Are you going to do anything besides stare at me like that?"

Soul was in the chair in front of my desk sitting in it backwards, his arms resting on the back. He had come over again, true to his word two days later, which pleased my father. I'd decided in that time to put everything that happened between us in the past and leave it there. It was obvious that Soul intended to stay. Holding in this anger and resentment was only hurting me. Now he was watching me read on my bed.

"Not really. I'm satisfied where I am."

"OK, whatever," I said looking back down at my novel.

However, I couldn't concentrate because Soul was burning holes in my head with his gaze. I looked up at him again.

"Ok, seriously do something else."

"And what would you suggest I do?" he asked tilting his head with an expressionless gaze.

"I don't know. Just something else," I said.

Soul got up and lazily stretched his arms above his head, making a small moaning sound. The action caused his black t-shirt to ride up his waist a little exposing a thin strip of pale skin. I only looked up for a second but that's all it took for Soul to catch me in the action.

"Like what you see?"

I glared at him and went back to my book. He threw his jacket on the edge of my bed and walked over to my window. After a couple of minutes of silence I took a chance and looked over at him again. Soul was leaning out my window, it actually looked like he was about to fall out.

"Soul?"

No answer.

"Soul?" I tried again.

I got a "hmm?" in response.

"What are you doing?"

"Something else."

I shrugged and went back to reading but I couldn't concentrate on the words. What was it about Soul that made me so darn curious? I got up and moved beside him. He was smoking again and the smoke was curling out of his lips, through his hair, and along with the wind. I really wasn't all that new to cigarettes. My dad had smoked a few times, and the rare occasion that his friend/rival Stein showed up at the house he always had a cigarette clenched between his teeth. I could faintly smell the nicotine Soul was inhaling. I had often wondered if they tasted like they smelled. If so, I didn't understand what was so addictive about it. Now that I had him here, I figured I could ask.

"Are they really that great?"

Soul looked to his left and above and made eye contact with me.

"Are what great?" he asked.

"Those."

I pointed to the nearly burnt out stub in his right hand.

"You haven't tried them?" he asked.

When I gave him a tilted look he rolled his eyes.

"Right, right. Forgot you're a square." He brought it to his mouth again. "Yah, I think they're pretty great, to answer your question," he said smoke escaping between his teeth.

I leaned against the wall.

"What do they taste like?"

He glanced back up at me again before returning his attention back to the outside world.

"Why?"

"What? I can't ask a simple question?"

"It depends on why you want to know the answer."

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine don't tell me. I don't care."

He flicked his fingers and the remaining ashes fluttered down to the earth.

"Actually, now that I think about it you're not a square. You totally downed an Under 40."

I grimaced remembering that night. I supposed I was over it, but at the same time I wasn't. I was just waiting for the fall semester to start so I could leave for college and forget these past few weeks ever happened.

"I'm sorry."

I blinked and looked at Soul who was now on his knees sitting back on the floor. His hands that were gripping the windowsill were empty.

"What?"

He looked up at me and his expression was one that I had never seen on him before.

"That wasn't cool."

"Uh, yah, trying to leave it buried in the past thank you very much," I said crossing my arms.

He swallowed and looked outside again.

"That's not what I meant."

"Huh?"

"Ugh," he whispered.

Soul let go of the sill and sat underneath it instead, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His hands briskly raked through his hair. That mysterious expression was gone replaced by his usual casual demeanor once again.

"Just know I'm sorry ok?"

"Ok?" I said still a little weirded out by what had just happened.

I thought about what he had said. He said he wasn't sorry about bringing up my few seconds of alcoholism, but there was nothing else to really apologize for except…except for…for…holy crap! The idea itself was so shocking I slid down the wall mimicking Soul's position. Soul Evans didn't apologize for things like that. He wouldn't. Not unless he had something to gain. But what would he gain from this? If he thought I would forgive him and let him trample all over me again he had another thing coming. But I wanted to test this theory.

"Ok Soul," I said a bit more firmly.

He looked at me. I searched his eyes trying to find something, anything, and I knew he was doing the same to me.

"Cool," he answered his expression completely unreadable.

It may or may not have been a genuine apology but it was a start.

"I don't know why you look so unhappy."

I didn't look at him as I buckled myself in. I was going to kill both Soul and Liz and maybe even Patty too just because I was mad. Soul and I were now in my dad's car on our way to the theatre. I really hadn't wanted to bring Soul along, but Liz had already bought his ticket and my guilt just had to step in. I had been in my kitchen loading the dishwasher while Soul tried to escape the claws of my father who I think was trying to give him tips on how to seduce me. My phone buzzed on the counter beside me showing a picture of Liz making some weird gangster sign that I hope didn't get me arrested. My hands were wet so I answered it and put it on speaker.

"Hey Liz. What's up?"

Liz and Patty had returned from their vacation ahead of schedule.

"Hey Makaaaa!" Liz's slightly static voice crooned. "So, the rest of us want to know if you're free for a movie in like 45 minutes. We got these coupons that'll save us an ass-load on snacks if we buy a lot of tickets."

"Oh yah. Sure," I said emptying a cup of water and placing it in the rack.

"I was thinking about that new romance one with the two cowboys and the city girl," Liz said excitedly.

"Yah, ok. Sounds like a…," I was abruptly cut off when my dad and Soul brought their argument into the kitchen.

"I said no," Soul said.

"Not even once?" my dad was asking with a whiney voice.

"Why do you want a 'yes' so badly?" Soul asked clearly annoyed.

"Cuz I'm worried that she'll never be open to it," my dad said looking at me semi-fondly over the island.

"What about me?" I asked forgetting Liz on the other line who was asking what was going on.

"Why haven't you kissed him yet?" my dad said practically throwing himself over the table.

I stared at him with my mouth open, but as I got a closer look I could tell that he was drunk. I pursed my lips together and stepped between the two males.

"Dad, calm down. Go hang out in your room for a while."

"You're not answering me Maka, answer your father," he said holding onto my shoulders and shaking me a bit.

"Dad," I growled.

Suddenly an arm went around me pulling me backwards. Soul pushed me behind him as he said,

"Don't hurt her like that."

I grabbed Soul's sleeve.

"Soul, it's fine, he wasn't hurting me."

"Oh, no, daddy would never hurt you Maka, you know that right?"

"Yes, dad I know. But you made Soul mad," I said affectionately running my hand up and down Soul's upper arm.

"You're right. I'll let you cool your boyfriend down," he said noticing the movement.

Then he sort of waddled away to whichever room he decided to pass out in. I sighed dropping my hand and leaning my forehead on Soul's shoulder.

"Ugh, I don't know why he does this? The times I want his attention, he doesn't give it to me. Then when he does it's about something like this."

I saw the shadow of Soul's hand for a moment before I felt it on my head. He patted my hair lightly, almost tentatively.

"Well, it's better to have no attention than the wrong kind."

I lifted my head thus removing his hand to look at him. His eyes were dark, almost fogged, and those shadowed rubies were pinning me to the spot.

"You sure he didn't hurt you?"

"Yah," I answered.

After another few seconds I realized we had shared a moment of sorts. I had quite literally told him one of the few thoughts that had never turned into words before. I felt the beginnings of a blush coming so I turned around and went back to the counter where I had neglected Liz.

"Liz, you still there?"

"Yah. I'm still here. What in the hell just happened?"

"Nothing. Just my dad and Soul arguing."

"Wait what?! Soul? As in super cutie who pissed you off at the party? You're together now? Why is this news to me?!"

I dropped my head into my hands. I had forgotten that Liz still wasn't totally up to date about my situation with Soul.

"No Liz. That's not…"

"Patty, go get another ticket Soul's coming too. We're so getting the free food!" I hear her call to her sister.

"No wait Liz that's not it. You don't have to do that."

"Why? He doesn't want to come? I guess that's understandable since it's a romance movie."

"I'll come," Soul said suddenly behind me.

"Oh, hi Soul!"

"Hi Liz," he answered picking up the phone.

"Soul stop it," I huffed.

He put the phone back down but before I could get it he took both of my hands pulling me close to him, my hands behind his waist.

"So, we'll see you both at the theatre soon kay?" Liz said.

"No wait, Liz…," I started but was interrupted by Soul again.

"We'll be there."

"Great. And you better behave Soul. You still kind of piss me off."

Could've fooled me, I thought indignantly. Soul chuckled and said,

"I promise to try."

"Great, bye guys."

"Liz," I tried again but the phone clicked.

I glared up at Soul.

"Did you have to do that?"

"You're the one who left it on speaker."

My chest was basically smushed against his and this close proximity wasn't helping me stay mad.

"Whatever. I'm going to get ready. You can wait down here."

I could feel his heartbeat which showed me he could most likely feel mine. I struggled against him a little until Soul willingly let me go. The second I closed the door to my room my hands went straight to where Soul's had previously been. Soul had held my wrists lightly. It had actually been an almost non-existent grip. And my struggle hadn't been a struggle at all. It was almost like I played the part of some airhead girlfriend who was in her boyfriend's clutches and really doesn't want to be let go but acts like it anyway. I was pitiful. I shut my eyes against the next thought; what part had Soul played? And the fact that I got all this from my wrists not hurting was stupid. I gave up. I threw on some nicer jeans and slipped into my Converse fail safes. I met Soul downstairs and we went out to the car and that's where we were arguing now.

"You don't know? Maybe because you invited yourself."

"I didn't. Liz did."

I pulled out and drove down the road.

"Besides, this can be like a second date for us."

I almost passed a stop sign.

"This is not a second date. This isn't even a first."

"Sure it is. I took you out to the fair."

"That didn't count," I said mumbling.

After a few minutes of silence Soul asked,

"So what counts?"

"What?"

"What counts as a date with you?"

I swallowed.

"Well, I guess the guy actually has to ask me to go out with him, then the rest would be pretty much up to him."

"Hmm," Soul said and I could tell he was staring at me.

"Don't even think about it," I said.

"Oh, but the thought's already here," he said pointing to his head and winking.

I glanced at the face he was making and couldn't help but chuckle.

"So, she laughs," he said leaning back into his seat looking awfully pleased with himself.

I simply grinned and looked back to the road. We make it to the theatre with plenty of time to spare. I texted Liz and told her we were there then turned off the car. I went to open the door but Soul stopped me.

"Wait."

"What?"

He got out of the car and ran around to my side and opened the door.

"Cool guys open their girl's door for them."

I cracked a small smile.

"Cute, but I'm not your girl."

"Ooh," he sighed clutching his heart. "That was cold."

I rolled my eyes and walked ahead. When we got to the doors of the building Soul reached around me and opened one of them.

"You called me cute," he whispered as I blew past him.

I frowned but couldn't stop the fierce blush I felt blooming on my cheeks. I hated when he did that. We saw Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki right away. Mostly because Liz yelled across the lobby the second we stepped through the doorway.

"Hey guys! Over here!"

I shyly waved trying not to die of embarrassment as every eye in the lobby first turned to Liz then landed on me. Tsubaki smiled at me and shrugged. I went towards them but Soul grabbed my hand and stopped me. Before I could make a scene about it I saw the intense way he was staring at…something. I tried to follow his gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary. I tugged at his hand which brought him back from wherever it was he had gone.

"Soul? You ok?"

"Uh, yah," he answered but he didn't let go of my hand.

He actually intertwined our fingers strengthening our bond. Oh sweet baby Jesus. This was another scene straight from a romance novel. And what's worse is that this time we're not just in close quarters but we're going to be in the dark. Why was it that whenever I went out in public with this guy he somehow made it look like we were together? I didn't have time to reflect on the matter because Liz was suddenly in front of me and smiling.

"So, Tsubaki told me you guys weren't together but from what I'm seeing you might as well be."

When did I get here across the lobby? I guess Soul must've led me while I had been busy panicking.

"I mean look at you, holding hands all cute and shit. Why can't I have a boyfriend?"

"Uh, yah," I said half-listening half-having a heart attack.

I was very aware of the way Soul's fingers were curled around mine and now so was everyone else. I wasn't going to lie, the feeling wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it was so not helping me prove that we weren't together. Thankfully no one else seemed to notice my cardiac failure because they were busy with Soul.

"You like her right?" Liz questioned. "At least a little?"

"Sure," Soul answered unenthusiastically.

I knew for a fact that Soul didn't like me, at least not in the way she was asking. I was just someone he liked to be with for whatever reason. We were on a trial-run for friendship if I could call what we had that. While my mind was being blown around by the goings-on I noticed two guys that looked slightly familiar. The second that one of them turned around I grew still. I remembered those contact-covered eyes. It was the guy who had tried sexually harassing me at the fair. The blonde turned around and sealed my theory.

"Uh, you guys, why don't we go ahead and find our seats, you know, before they're all taken?" I said interrupting.

"Oh yah," Patty said dragging Liz down the hall. "I wanna sit in the very front."

"No way. The front hurts my eyes," Liz complained.

"Guys wait up," Tsubaki called chasing after them yet managing not to drop of single popcorn kernel from the bags they had ditched her with.

I was about to follow when the two guys followed in her footsteps. Not only was life not being fair but it was also_ ridiculously _unfair. What were two guys going into a romance cowboy movie without girlfriends for anyway? I panicked again.

"Soul," I said, "they're here."

Soul's intense gaze was back and was trained on the door they had slipped through.

"I know," he said taking a step in their direction.

"But," I said staying stubbornly in place.

"Look," he said coming back closer to me. "You've got me with you, so nothing's going to happen to you."

He said it lightly and with a grin but his hand tightened and his eyes were determined.

"Ok?" he said.

He rubbed his thumb on top of mine and in that little gesture I felt the full force of his promise and I believed it.

"Ok."

"I can't believe none of you liked it!" Liz was exclaiming as we exited the theatre.

"Well, the girl ended up happy and both guys ended up miserable," Tsubaki pointed out.

"It's their fault for not devoting themselves," Liz justified.

"They moved across the country, how is that not devotion?" Soul asked.

"Patty, you're my sister. Please tell me you liked it," Liz begged.

"It sucked balls," was Patty's monotone response.

I watched them bicker about the movie with a smile. The movie had gone on without much trouble. The guys had been in the row in front of us. The one with the eye contact, who Soul told me was named Free, nudged the blonde one, who I now know as Giriko, when he saw me out of the corner of his eye. When they both turned around neither one of them noticed Soul right beside me. That itself was weird since Soul was almost impossible to miss.

"So, we meet again," Free said.

"And you're still cute too," Giriko chuckled.

He reached a hand back and almost touched my leg when suddenly Soul's hand was around his wrist. Giriko looked up at him with a bored expression that made me think that maybe he had seen Soul after all.

"Touch her and I break it."

He said it so coldly I felt chills across my skin. Apparently so did Giriko because he pulled his hand out of Soul's grip.

"Geez Soul, you don't gotta be like that," Free mumbled. "You used to be cool."

When they both turned back around Soul put his hands behind his head and looked at me with a grin.

"If you ask me that was the coolest thing I've done all day."

I chuckled.

"Thanks Soul," I said putting my hand on his knee which I took off immediately the second he looked at it.

I had never praised the dark before but I honored it now that it hid the mortified face I was making at my own forwardness. I soon forgot about it. During the movie, whenever a particularly cheesy line was said or a cliché was performed with fake intensity, Soul and I would look at each other with over exaggerated faces which we felt were appropriate for the lameness before us. We tried to keep our whispered giggles quiet but that didn't stop Tsubaki on my left and Liz on Soul's right from pinching us. It had been ok being with Soul. He showed me that he too could laugh. Of course, he had before, but this time it wasn't at my expense.

"What are you smiling about?"

I blinked.

"Huh?"

Soul had his head tilted at me which threw his bangs into his eyes partially obscuring them.

"Nothing," I said waving him away.

"Anyway," Liz continued, "the only thing more romantic than the movie was you two."

"What?" I asked when she pointed at me and Soul.

"Yah," Patty agreed," when he beat up those guys for you that was totally cool!"

Soul put his arm around my shoulders.

"See, I told ya."

I rolled my eyes and shrugged his arm off. He hadn't beaten anybody up. He had just threatened them a little. Two totally different things.

"You guys saw that?"

"Uh, hon, we were right beside you," Tsubaki pointed out.

Duh.

"Yah, we even saw your cutesy thank you," Liz said pushing her head between the two of them.

I suddenly felt really self-conscious that they had seen my slip up.

"You were looking into his eyes when you remembered you were supposed to detest this boy and looked away."

I swallowed and started fishing in my bag for my keys. I needed to leave.

"Then Soul saw you remember and remembered too but couldn't stop himself from touching where the memory of your hand was fading."

I stopped my digging to slowly look at Soul. Was this true? Well, so what if it was? It meant nothing. To either of us. Soul didn't meet my gaze, instead he stared at Liz without expression.

"You waxed poetic about me scratching my knee. Weird."

"But," Liz started before she was cut off.

"Really. Weird."

They stared at each other unwavering. You could feel the tension strung between them. Something in Soul reached something in Liz and she soon backed down. That was strange because Liz was one of the most stubborn people I knew. To exit the odd atmosphere that had been created I said,

"Well, this was fun guys, we should do this again soon."

I backed away pulling Soul with me who had somehow gotten his arm around my shoulders again without my notice. I didn't particularly care at this moment. The warm weight wasn't altogether unpleasant but it was the least of my worries.

"Yah. Ok. Bye Maka."

Liz may have said this to me but she was staring at Soul again, this time with a smirk and this almost creepy mischievous look in her eyes.

"You too Soul."

He nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing.

"Bye Makaaaa!" Patty squeeled.

Tsubaki calmly waved. I waved back.

"What was that?" I asked when we were out of earshot.

"Nothing."

"Fine. Play stupid. I don't care."

So much for him proving he was normal. The boy who got in my passenger seat was the silent heartthrob everyone had known him as. Quiet, cool, expressionless. This was his original normal. So why couldn't I tear my eyes away from something I thought I had gotten used to a long time ago?


End file.
